June 2, 2017, I launched my book ‘Forget Reach, Start Selling – What e-commerce should learn from retail’. It is available via Amazon and in the Netherlands via Managementmentboek.nl I here share two images from the book that display the strategic concepts.

The main message to get from my book is that now is the time for retail to reconquer the online markets. Customers more and more expect the same experience online and offline. A great customer experience is created by active customer coaching. Retail is most experienced in giving customers this customer coaching experience, so they are in the best position to win the competition. You can download the first chapter here.

‘Forget Reach, Start Selling’ has 8 chapters. After the introduction, I first display the public secret that only very few e-commerce companies are actually making reasonable profits. I will also explain why. It’s not just your problem, it’s generic.

In chapter 3, I then explain the impact of the current social media marketing strategies on customer behavior and why these strategies are bound to increment instead of resolve the issue of low profits.

Now the problem is clear, the new e-commerce is first sketched by 3 showcase interviews. I then start building the new strategy called ‘Vocification’.

The VoC-ification strategy shows you WHAT you need to do to win over customers. In the era of information overload, customer participation and listening to the Voice of the Customer are key to get a customer’s attention. My strategy is fundamentally different from the customer ambassador strategy. I advocate the opposite. You want to stand amidst your customers and share your passion and craftsmanship with your community. I will share a great number of marketing research data to underpin this strategy.

Chapters 6 and 7 then give you the tools to actually get the customer into flow and to get him to engage with you long term. The book holds action plans to get you kick started. The stairway to customer community is explained step by step, with hands-on examples.

Chapter 8 describes how FiveDOLPHINS helps you to realize the VoC-fication strategy.

I have created a list of questions to help readers formulate their own opinion before they start reading the book. You might want to check out these questions too. They can be used with or without sharing your email address.

Buy the book via Amazon or in the Netherlands via Managementboek.nl