The Review: Short Version
Finally – a comprehensive guide to the Subscription Economy, told from a viewpoint at the center of this tectonic shift.
Long Version
When I wrote the first edition of Subscription Marketing (published January 2015), I tried to get my head around the scope of the changes happening to businesses as they shifted their revenue models to a subscription pattern. Then I tried to communicate what I saw to others. Plenty of people didn’t get what I was talking about, but Zuora was always there, trailblazing. I’d show up at their events just to have other people to talk with!
In building a company supporting subscription-based businesses, Zuora CEO Tien Tzuo has become a champion of this Subscription Economy model. Now he’s teamed up with Gabe Weisert (another Zuora insider) to create a fun and informative guide to this emerging economy. The book is called Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company’s Future – And What to Do About It.
Seriously – if they had done this three years earlier it would have saved me a lot of work trying to explain what I meant by “subscription marketing.” (No, I’m not just talking about magazines…)
This book answers all of the questions I had about the world beyond marketing, including:
- How do you make the cultural shifts to support this business model change?
- How does the financial model work?
- How do sales teams respond and adapt?
The first part of the book outlines the impact of the subscription shift in industries as diverse as railroads, electric guitars, power tools, and more.
But the meat of the book is about managing that transition in your business. It describes the changes that have to happen in product development, sales, finance, IT, and of course marketing. The final chapter reveals how Zuora itself manages growth sustainably in this business model.
Of course, I’m partial to the marketing chapter. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:
“When the data wonks get together with the writers, that’s when the cool stuff happens.”
And this one:
“Today you communicate brand through experiences, not ads.”
If I’ve piqued your curiosity, check out the book. It’s a fast and entertaining read, and I guarantee you’ll finish inspired.
