I really enjoy Seth Godin’s books. They are full of all the logical connections we often fail to make as we go about our day to day work. Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync? is just such a book – well organized, relevant and interesting.

Meatball Sundae is about getting the right mix of marketing for the type of business we have. Godin reminds us that even though there are many marketing tools out there that are shiny and pretty and everyone seems to have one, they just may not be right for our goals. And today’s marketing is a lot trickier than in the past. So called “mass” marketing doesn’t work anymore for most products. Now marketing is personal – with customers interacting directly with companies.

You can’t dress up a meatball by covering it in whip cream – I mean you can, but blecch. They just don’t mix and no amount of cherries on top will change that. But if you want to reach the people who love meatballs, you’ve got to integrate new marketing into all aspects of your business – don’t just throw whip cream and cherries on top of the old way of doing things.

Meatballs are good – embrace them for what they are – solid, satisfying and saucy. Just choose your toppings carefully and remember to build your sundae from the bottom up.

Godin puts forth a logical look at some 14 trends that are changing our world. Take each one by one and you’ll soon have a better understanding of your organization, and if it needs a little whipped topping…or not.