Behavioral Advantage, The: What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently to Win in the B2B Arena [Hardcover]

Terry R. Bacon Ph.D. (Author), David G. Pugh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0814472257 | ISBN-13: 978-0814472255 | Publication Date: May 12, 2004 | Edition: 1st

The "Behavioral Advantage" reveals the secrets behind what is essentially a chess game with competitors. To win the game, companies must develop: a carefully plotted opening game, with all internal values, policies, practices and behaviors fully aligned to make the most of resources and capabilities; a smart and efficient middle game, in which the company builds and strengthens its position with the customer, thereby outflanking competitors; and a confident and smooth endgame that assures a successful relationship and lays the groundwork for equally successful future games.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

"In their book Winning Behavior, Terry Bacon and David Pugh showed how great companies outperform good ones through ""behavioral differentiation"" -- going beyond superior products and dependable service to connect with customers at every touchpoint. The Behavioral Advantage broadens the concept, applying behavioral differentiation to the business-to-business arena.

The best B2B companies depend on a multifront approach to business interaction, and The Behavioral Advantage reveals the secrets behind what is essentially a chess game with competitors. To win the game, companies must develop a carefully plotted opening game, with all internal values, policies, practices, and behaviors fully aligned. A smart and efficient middle game lets the company build and strengthen its position, and the endgame assures victory and lays the groundwork for future business.

Just as individual customers do, B2B customers remember those companies whose behavior consistently and significantly outshines even strong competitors. These firms create a lasting advantage -- and reap the profits that come with it."

About the Author

Terry R. Bacon and David G. Pugh (Durango, CO) are cofounders of the Lore Institute, a professional development and corporate education company. They are the coauthors of Winning Behavior. Bacon is also the author of Selling to Major Accounts and dozens of other books, articles, and papers.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM; 1st edition (May 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814472257
• ISBN-13: 978-0814472255
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry R. Bacon (1947) is the scholar-in-residence for the Korn/Ferry Institute and has been a writer, speaker, business leader, coach, and consultant for more than thirty years. He has also written poetry, developed educational programs,and written screenplays--and he is now president of a summer classical music festival and chairman of the Fort Lewis College Foundation. Before Korn/Ferry, he was a founder and CEO of Lore International Institute and for the past four years has been named one of the top leadership thinkers in the world by Leadership Excellence magazine. He lives and works in Colorado and Hawaii. His latest book, The Elements of Power, was named one of the 11 Top Business Books in 2011 by CIO Insight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner, April 23, 2004

By 

sharon Holbrook (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behavioral Advantage, The: What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently to Win in the B2B Arena (Hardcover)

Every page of this book is competitive gold. The book beautifully elaborates on the thinking processes that B2B companies use to gain competitive advantage in an ever-tightening market. It will help company leaders counter unproductive behavior, and function in highly competitive industries.
Generally, I tend to rate business books on how well they help me understand the business and industry I work in, and using those guidelines , I found this book to be extremely valuable. There are many original, great ideas presented in this book which stand alone on their own merit . However, Pugh and Bacon also build upon their previous book, Winning Behavior, which showed the paradox that well managed companies, like the Men's Warehouse, have built successful business models that listen to customers and employ behavioral differentiation, and yet are not emulated by their competition.
The authors draw on a large body of case histories and business theory to present a fresh and compelling case, reminiscent of Pugh's earlier work in Proposing to Win, which has helped me a great deal. This work differs from most business books by establishing a model, and then making innovative predictions based on that model. For that reason alone, it is more valuable than the typical management book, which simply documents what was successful elsewhere, without a real analysis as to the reasons and limitations of this success.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much chess analogy, March 4, 2006

By 

Van L. (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behavioral Advantage, The: What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently to Win in the B2B Arena (Hardcover)

I love the book, Winning Behavior, but this one is disappointing. The authors spent 6 chapters or 170 pages on chess analogy: on Opening Game, Early Middle Game, Mid Middle Game, Late Middle Game, End Game. Trust me, I am a chess player and love it. It still wears on me after a couple chapers. The same contents started to repeat. This book might be beneficial for a sales people, but this is a tough read.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's nice! Merci!, October 25, 2007

By 

BAI Tian "Hawk" (Nancy FRANCE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behavioral Advantage, The: What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently to Win in the B2B Arena (Hardcover)

It is nice and on time. It has great efficiency.
C'est bien. Merci beaucoup!