Ice to the Eskimos

You,

That's right. YOU,

You've got a problem.

You've got a product that's not the first in its class.

It's not even second.

You've got to find a way to market that product.

What are you going to do?

You're going to read this boo, that's what.

Let's face it. There comes a time in the life of every business when a product or service does not sell up to expectations.

Maybe your product is outmoded. Or hasn't been positioned correctly. Or is competing in a crowded market. Whatever the reason, Ice to the Eskimos is dedicated to helping you reclaim that lost ground. It's about taking a product or service and turning it into a winner. If you've got a product that is not the best in its field, then you will love Ice to the Eskimos. Take the principles Jon Spoelstra writes about and hard with them — you'll be amazed by the results.

Written by the former president of the hapless New Jersey Nets, Jon Spoelstra is the man responsible for tripling that team's lagging revenues in just three years and increasing the season-ticket holders base by 250 percent. This guy knows what he's talking about. What everyone else had seen as a lost cause, Spoelstra saw as an outstanding opportunity to reawaken a tired and beaten product to achieve unprecedented profitability.

Not just for sports marketers, this lively, entertaining book successfully makes the jump from sports to whatever your product may be. The techniques Spoelstra perfected while working for teams in the NHL and NBA — from innovative packaging to image overhaul — apply to any product in any company. The numerous winning examples are sure to make Ice to the Eskimos a must read for anyone with a product or service to sell.

Ice to the Eskimos is sure to be an instant marketing classic. It will show millions of readers how to market their product… sometimes even after they've given up hope. By using the powerful techniques in this book, you too can learn to achieve the impossible and market ice to the Eskimos.

1. Jump-Starting out of Hell
   Ground rule #1: You've got to want to clip on the wires and turn up the juice
2. Ulysses, You and Me
   Ground rule #2: Don't fool yourself into thinking you're somebody else
3. The Quick Fix Silver Bullet
   Ground rule #3: Increase the frequency of purchases by your customers
4. Ah So Desu (It is so, it is so.)
   Ground rule #4: Get the name and address of the end user of your product
5. New Customers from Heaven
   Ground rule #5: The janitor isn't going to lead the charge for new customers
6. Paying Bonuses for Mistakes
   Ground rule #6: Create big change with little experiments
7. Innovate, Innovate, Innovate, and When You're Tired, Innovate Some More
   Ground rule #7: Don't wait for a new product to bail you out — use innovative marketing now
8. Creating Your Own Terrorist Group for Innovation
   Ground rule #8: To get your ideas approved by the boss, prepare as if you were defending yourself in front of the Supreme Court
9. The Jump-Start Golden Rule
   Ground rule #9: Only try to sell a product that the customer wants to buy
10. You Can't Jump-Start from an Ivory Tower
    Ground rule #10: Get the feel for jump-start marketing outside the Ivory Tower
11. Marketing to a Segment of One
    Ground rule #11: Only target people who are interested in your product
12. Cheap Is Good, but Free Is Better
    Ground rule #12: Don't let research make the decision for you
13. I'll Be Your Friend for Another Year
    Ground rule #13: Make your client a bona fide, real-life hero
14. The Secret Weapon
    Ground rule #14: Run interference for your budding superstars
15. An Offer They Can't Refuse
    Ground rule #15: Make it too good of a deal on purpose
16. 1,000 Widow Ladies
    Ground rule #16: Feel free to butt in to other departments
17. Choose Which Customer to Dump
    Ground rule #17: Differentiate between big and little customers
18. When Will You Stop?
    Ground rule #18: When the going gets rough, increase expenses that are not fixed, like salespeople
19. Is It Fun?
    Ground rule #19: Jumping higher than you think you can is possible with jump-start marketing
20. Afterword
    World-Class

A brilliant book about marketing in real life. And it is funny at the same time.