The full title is, Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense, by Rory Sutherland.

A lot of things that are true in marketing don’t make sense, and this book is both entertaining and filled with real-life examples – examples you can apply in your own business.

At one point (page 174, if you must know), he talks about the Sony Walkman, and how when it was first introduced, the ability to record was deliberately left out. 

The technology was available. But the Walkman was so new that Sony wanted to make it crystal clear what this thing was for: portable listening, a concept that at the time was unknown (stay with me, youngsters).

“It is always possible to add functionality to something, but while this makes the new thing more versatile, it also reduces the clarity of its affordance.”

This is exactly the problem with heaping on more and more features to your services – claiming to do all kinds of things for all kinds of people. 

Way better to throw everything but your specialty overboard and become known as the Leading Expert in something.

Because effective professional services marketing is not about impressing people with how smart, capable, and multi-subject qualified you are.

It’s about standing out as the only logical solution, thereby making the decision to hire you, and only you, easy and obvious.

I told you it didn’t make sense.