How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market | 
| Autor: Gerald Zaltman
Urheber: Gerald Zaltman
Verleger: Mcgraw-Hill Professional
Kaufen Neu: EUR 18,12
Neu (83) Gebraucht (7) ab EUR 18,12
Bewertung:  6 Rezensionen
Verkaufsrang: 28963
Medium: Gebundene Ausgabe
Seiten: 352
Versandgewicht: 1.6
Maße (innen): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.6
ISBN: 1578518261
Dewey Dezimalzahl: 658.8342
EAN: 9781578518265
Publikation: Februar 1, 2003
Verfügbarkeit: Versandfertig in 1 - 2 Werktagen
Zustand: Versand erfolgt aus den USA. Die Lieferfrist belaeuft sich auf 10-14 Werktage. Wir bieten Kundenbetreuung in Deutsch.
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 Helpful Concepts Abstractly Portrayed April 26, 2007
Donald Mitchell (Boston)
1 aus 1 fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Few would have any argument with the central thesis of this book. Most new products fail rapidly in unexpected ways, suggesting that a misunderstanding of what is required by customers is part of the problem. Professor Zaltman goes on to suggest that his patented approach to considering more aspects of customer thinking (especially emotion, associations and context) can help improve matters.
The book argues successfully that most marketing research methods are misused (usually by being applied to solve the wrong class of problem). He also does a fine job of explaining how marketers' attitudes and opinions create myopia that prevents them from learning what they need to know.
There is extensive material in the book about how the brain works in the context of purchasing decisions. For those who are familiar with brain research, there is little new here.
As someone who has worked in marketing research for over 30 years, I found the explanation of how to do better to be abstract and often counter to my own experience with extensive one-on-one open-ended interviews. Let me share a few examples. First, he states that consensus maps (a graphic expression of the universal considerations and order that consumers go through to make a purchasing decision) of how consumers think almost always emerge after 10 interviews . . . far short of statistical norms. That finding made me wonder if the maps are done too abstractly to capture the richness of customer thinking. Second, all of the examples of specific brands seemed to relate to an adult making a decision with the item in front of her or him. Yet, many consumers arrive at the grocery store (for example, since much of the book is about food products) with a shopping list in hand. Are consensus maps the same for self purchase as for purchase for others? The book doesn't seem to address that point. If the items are to be purchased for another family member, how do the different consensus maps overlap and affect one another? Third, the book doesn't do much to address how misimplementation of new products and marketing strategies causes failure. In my experience, that problem is greater than a lack of understanding of how customers think. Fourth, the incentives in most marketing organizations favor using marketing research to locate reasons to justify a marketer's decisions. Professor Zaltman acknowledges this, but doesn't really address how to institutionally change the culture. His suggestions presume that everyone is more interested in promoting company results than protecting individual careers while the opposite is often the case. Fifth, the real weakness in most organizations is that the head of marketing research has an insufficient background in the subject to make the right suggestions and to persuade management to follow those suggestions. That problem isn't addressed at all. Sixth, the best applications for this kind of research are for services . . . yet there were few examples of services compared to food items. In services, you have more things you can change and the potential for improvement is greater. The strength of the book mostly comes in the service examples (which are often overly disguised).
The book also has a tone that I did not like. It seems to suggest that no one had ever developed thinking process maps or used depth one-on-one interviews before this patented process was developed. Many aspects of the concepts described here were in broad scale application in companies that I have worked with over 30 years ago. Many of these companies belonged to the Marketing Science Institute, with which Harvard (where Professor Zaltman practices) has long had a close association. In addition, those who have employed these concepts are universally praised. That was strange, because many of them have pulled some of the biggest errors that violate these principles. For example, the research on new Coke was flawed by not telling consumers that the existing Coca-Cola would be removed from the market. Yet Coca-Cola is cited universally as an example of advanced marketing research.
The book also comes across as a sales pitch far too often. That is almost unprecedented in my experience in reading a book from a professor. The same marketing research organizations are used as examples over and over again. You are also told that one way to get these good results is to hire a "wizard," which is presumably one of these firms. Wouldn't it make more sense to develop a proprietary skill in this area so that competitors would have less chance to learn what you find out?
Finally, the reports of success seem unconvincing. They are based on self-reported satisfaction with short-term results. Now, if you've hired someone to help you and spent a lot of money to do so, even the most inexperienced market researcher knows that there will be a bias towards reporting positive results. Also, paid market researchers will share their "best" results, rather than their average or below average results. I was left wondering what the long term benefits are, and what the average expectation can be.
Despite these reservations, I think most marketing executives will benefit from the book's discussions of what types of marketing research to use for what types of issues. But the total of that information could have been captured in a magazine article.
Both marketing executives and researchers will benefit from chapter 12.
Those who purchase or use marketing research would do well to become familiar with this book.
I hope that Professor Zaltman will write another book in the future that will be more helpful to marketing research professionals. It has always been the case that 99% of the profession is engaged in doing repetitive tracking research. With few looking into creative research to better develop new products, improve brands and enhance the lives of customers, we need to develop a larger cadre of well-trained individuals interested in these challenges if we are to ultimately improve on the dismal record of failure in making improvements.
 Ein Standardwerk Dezember 9, 2006
Juergen Boss
0 aus 3 fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Der Textteil ist leicht verstaendlich, umfassend und stringent geschrieben. Wissenschaftlich (noch) auf der Hoehe der Zeit, trotz des Alters von mittlerweise drei Jahren. Wer aber wirklich tief in das Thema einsteigen will, der wird sich vor allem an den Anhaengen begeistern. Die Vollstaendigkeit der Literaturhinweise ist begeisternd und zeigt an, wie gruendlich der Autor das Thema beherrscht.
Gewichtige Stimme aus Harvard Mai 29, 2006
Fuchs Werner Dr (Zug Schweiz)
10 aus 11 fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Internet sei Dank. Den Tipp zu diesem Buch erhielt ich - wie so vieles Brauchbares - uebers Netz. Einerseits finde ich es aergerlich, dass ich nicht schon frueher auf Gerald Zaltman stiess, andererseits ist es wohl ganz gut so. Denn die Versuchung, allzu viel von seinem Gedankengut in mein Buch „Tausend und eine Macht“ einfliessen zu lassen, waere doch gross gewesen. Und so freue ich mich nun einfach ueber die prominente Unterstuetzung. Denn Gerald Zaltman ist Professor fuer Marketing an der Harvard Business Scholl, Fellow an der Harvard University’s interdisciplinary Mind, Brain, Behaviour Initative und beraet international taetige Unternehmen. Und weil man Helden eher Glauben schenkt als ihren Helfern, werde ich Zaltman in Zukunft mit Genugtuung zitieren. Zumal er bei Prozentzahlen noch radikaler ist als ich. Zaltman geht naemlich davon aus, dass mindestens 95% unseres Verhaltens vom Unbewussten gesteuert wird und der rationale Beitrag zu einem Handlungsmuster lediglich 5% ausmacht.
Drei Jahre sind es nun her, seit das gewichtige Werk erschienen ist. Doch zumindest im deutschen Sprachraum hat es bis jetzt keine tiefen Spuren hinterlassen. Die amerikanische Marketingwelt scheint allerdings auch nicht auf die Inputs von Zaltman gewartet zu haben. Aus den gleichen Gruenden wie ueberall. Wieso soll man etwas aendern, das sich so gut verkauft? Doch weil der Autor von „How Customers Think“ nicht irgendwer ist und der Leidensdruck stetig zunimmt, kommt langsam Bewegung in eine Branche, die sich selber gerne als Schmelzpunkt der Kreativen sieht. Wenn 95% unseres Handelns vom Unbewussten gesteuert wird, wird man wohl oder uebel die notwendigen Konsequenzen aus diesem Faktum schliessen muessen.
Ohne Ueberzeugungsarbeit fuer das Primat des Unbewussten haette Gerald Zaltman nicht 324 Seiten schreiben muessen. Aber um skeptische Manager, Marketer und Berater auf die Konsequenzen einzustimmen, braucht es eben diesen Effort. Schliesslich geht es um die Installation eines neuen Glaubensmodells. Der Autor erfuellt den missionarischen Teil seines Tuns hervorragend. Er verzichtet weitgehend auf neurologische Fachbegriffe, bzw. erklaert die Schluesselbegriffe gleich im Vorwort. Er greift auf Illustrationen zurueck, bringt Beispiele aus dem Alltag und nimmt seine Leser auf spannende Exkursionen in andere Wissenschaftsgebiete mit. „Conciousness allows us the freedom to understand unconciousness events“. Solch wunderbare Saetze finden wir fast auf jeder Seite.
Sobald Gerald Zaltman zur Umsetzung der neuen Erkenntnisse kommt, wird schnell klar, dass es nicht um Peanuts geht. Und da er das Schwergewicht bei der Praxis auf den analytischen Teil legt, kommt die traditionelle Marktforschung gar nicht gut weg. Die Suche nach neuen Strategien und Instrumenten hat eben erst begonnen. Daher ist es auch verzeihlich, dass wir bei Gerald Zaltman noch keinen prall gefuellten Werkzeugkoffer finden. Wofuer er seine Leser begeistern moechte, sind der gezielte Gebrauch von Metaphern und das Erfinden guter Geschichten. Denn in ihnen komprimiert sich das im Unbewussten gespeicherte Wissen. Die Lektuere von „How Customers Think“ hat mir drei Dinge gezeigt: Das neue Marketing hat eben erst begonnen, an der Ueberzeugungsarbeit muessen sich noch viele Prominente beteiligen, der Findungsprozess passender Strategien und Instrumente braucht Zeit.
Mein Fazit: Ein wichtiges Buch, um Oekonomen, Manager und Marketer davon zu ueberzeugen, dass der rationale Mensch ein Wunschbild ist und die Erkenntnisse der Neurologie endlich zur Entwicklung neuer Instrumente anspornen sollen. Verstaendlich und mit der Kraft innerer Ueberzeugung geschrieben, von einem Autor, der in Fachkreisen eine gewichtige Stimme hat.
What do you want vs. who are you? August 27, 2005
captainfuture0202
2 aus 4 fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
What do customers really want? That's the twenty million dollar question, right? Customers say they want something, and once it is created by companies, customers don't buy the product. The author Gerald Zaltman says: "...marketers need methods that go beyond what customers can readily articulate - that get at what people don't know they know". Or to put it simple: customers indeed know, what they want, but they lack the ability to express it in the right way. And it needs more than simple interpretation to unearth true customer needs.
This book opened my eyes!
Lack of innovation wouldn't pose such a big problem any longer if more marketers got acquainted with the methods and solutions given in this book.
Highly Recommended! Juni 22, 2005
Rolf Dobelli (Luzern Switzerland)
1 aus 5 fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
In this thoroughly researched, documented, footnoted book, author Gerald Zaltman opens a gateway into a deep, fertile field for marketing professionals. After a thorough review of traditional marketing research techniques based on the abysmal failures of consumer surveys and focus groups, Zaltman addresses the importance of the subconscious in framing consumer attitudes and behaviors. He cites a wide variety of interdisciplinary sources, including results from biochemical research about brain function. This is definitely not a light read, but it has insight and offers great potential for dedicated, large corporation marketers who have a background in behavioral science. While the book is interesting and challenging, it is also dense and sometimes repetitive. The book explores an interesting metaphysical discussion and uses apt case studies to drive home key points, yet its practical application is open to discussion. For instance, how can marketers practically find the intersection between their subconscious and the consumer's subconscious, as Zaltman suggests? We recommend this thought-provoking work to all research-oriented marketing executives.
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