Services Marketing in Asia : A Case Book
Author: Wirtz, Jochen & Christopher Lovelock
Singapore : Pearson/Prentice Hall, c2005
Call Number: 658.8095 WIR

Service industries are expanding all over the world, even in Asia. In fact, this sector is tipped to be money spinners of the future. In Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, this together with employment, accounts for more than 65 percent of the GDP. However, not much has been done to market this service.

This book addresses important issues in service marketing by bringing together, 32 case studies. These highlight marketing professional services, new service development, brand development, revenue management, CRM strategy design and implementation.

It is useful for service managers and students or anyone who wants to succeed in marketing this service.

Secrets of VITO (Very Important Top Officer): Think and Sell Like a CEO
Author: Parinello, Anthony
[Irvine, Calif.] : Entrepreneur Press, c2006.
Call Number: 658.85 PAR

Ever wondered what are the prerequisites to being a CEO of a company? How do they get to the top and stay there?

Author Parinello shares valuable information from his numerous interviews with highly successful leaders in his book, Secrets of VITO. His impressive array of companies include AT&T, Compaq, GE, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle and many more.

These success stories gives the reader an insight of what it is like to be the person at the top. It also reveals the tips and strategies these CEOs use to increase loyalty among customers, handle grievances, discover potential business opportunities and improve communications skills.

How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders: Boosting Your Business & Buzz on the Web
Author: Seda, Catherine
Berkeley, Calif. : New Riders, 2007.
Call Number: 658.872 SED

Retail marketing is not easy in the face of fierce competition. Reaching out to potential customers has become a real challenge for the marketing personnel.

Fortunately, the internet offers many opportunities and this book highlights the power of a broad spectrum of Internet marketing tactics like blogs, podcasting, social media, email and affiliate marketing to improve business performance. It aims at maximizing impact and online exposure while keeping within budget.

Using many case histories and valuable insights, it also warn people to avoid making the 'Top 10' Internet marketing mistakes.

Wow! : Giving Your Customers the Wow! Experience to Grow Your Business
Author: Williams, Bentley
Singapore : Bentley Williams Consulting, 2006
Call Number: 658.812 WIL

The foundation of any business is to have a base of loyal customers. What must you do to woo and retain them forever?

Author Bentley Williams says that the key to business success is to provide good customer service by exceeding their expectations of your service/product. However, as organisations get bigger, they lose their personal touch with their customers.

He shares tips on delivering the Wow! experience by going the extra mile to delight customers and forge lasting relationships. His five abiding principles are: Respect; Focus; Make it convenient; Remember and Follow up.

An inspiring read for anyone engaged with customer-related activities.

Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age
Author: Negen, Bob and Susan Negen
Hoboken, N.J. : J. Wiley & Sons, 2007.
Call Number: 658.87 NEG

The 21st century brings many new challenges for small businesses. The Internet has changed the way customers shop. This means that traditional ways of marketing and retailing do not hold anymore. Retailers have to change their way of operation to meet the new demands

The book offers innovative ideas to market your products/services to boost visitorship, sales and repeat sales through the Internet. It also shows how effective copyright rules should be written and how websites are built.

Authors Bob and Susan Negen, it reveals how personal service and customer relationships can turn your business around. It is easy to read because the language is free of technical jargon.

Available at National Library Board libraries
Please check the availability of the materials at: http://vistaweb.nlb.gov.sg

Database articles

Asian and Western Market Research Differences and Similarities
Author: Shawana P Johnson.
Source: The Business Review, Cambridge. Hollywood. Vol. 7, Issue 2. pg 215-219.
Summary: A study was conducted in 2005 and 2006 for remote sensing market for aerial and space borne sensors in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. Although the study time periods and the size of the sample population ere similar, the Asian response was much lower in comparison to the West.

Retrieved from Proquest database. Available at the National Library Board Libraries.

Tech Tools Help Marketers Spread the Word
Author: Linden, Kerri
Source: Shopping Centers Today. Oct 2007, Vol. 28 Issue 10, Oct 2007, pg 104.
Summary: Discusses the importance of technological tools such as portable universal serial bus (USB) drives and the Auto Photo. These devices help marketers disseminate and gather relevant marketing information.

Retrieved from Ebsco Business Source Complete database. Available at the National Library Board Libraries.

Ambika Raghavan is a senior reference librarian with the National Library Board.