Customer Reviews

Collapse of Distinction: Stand out and move up while your competition fails (NelsonFree)

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Whenever I meet with a prospective consulting client in need of help with marketing, I always pose three basic questions that consumers tend to ask: Who are you? What do you do? Why should I care? The third question is the most important because one of the greatest challenges that organizations now face is to differentiate themselves and their products and services from competitors. In this volume, Scott McKain provides a wealth of information and counsel that can help decision-makers in almost any organization (regardless of size or nature) to "stand out and move up while [the] competition fails." In the introduction, he asks a basic question of his own: "Can your customers tell the difference between you and your competition?" In some instances, the answer is "no. "In other instances, the answer is "I have no idea." And in still other instances, the answer is "Yes, unfortunately." Whatever the response, the fact remains that - with rapidly increased commoditization and expanded globalization -- competition in almost every marketplace has become ferocious and is certain to become moreso. McKain provides a roadmap for understanding how the phenomenon of "sameness" happened and what to do in response to it. His function is to serve as a guide to assist his reader during efforts to make her or his business distinct in the marketplace. He outlines and discusses various strategies that, if executed effectively, can help to make a significant and (key word) sustainable difference to his reader's own customers and he succeeds brilliantly.

Distinction (or differentiation) initiatives must be based on a solid foundation. McCain identifies four and devotes a separate chapter to each: total Clarity about who and what the organization is...and isn't, exemplified by Starbucks; continuous Creativity that is nurtured and supported at all levels and in all areas of the enterprise, exemplified by Enterprise Rent-a-Car; effective Communication that makes maximum use of storytelling, exemplified by High Point University; and a razor-sharp Customer Experience Focus, as exemplified by Nordstrom and Ritz-Carlton. On average, most of us receive about 2,500 messages each day from various sources (e.g. print and electronic media as well as interaction with others) and experience what McCain characterizes as "The Ebert Effect," inspired by what film critic once observed: "When you are overwhelmed with such boring similarity, you begin to perceive that [begin italics] different is better! [end italics]" According to McCain, the Ebert Effect occurs when people, from their perspective, "are inundated with indistinguishable choices, they perceive a product, service, approach, or experience with a specific point of differentiation to be superior."

The comments just quoted really caught my eye because, if I fully understand their significance (and I may not), they indicate that it is possible to be crystal clear about who and what your organization, product, service, etc. is (and isn't) and not necessarily be distinctive. The same is true when using storytelling to communicate effectively. The "message" could come through loud and clear that, in fact, your organization, product, service, etc. is no different from any others in its category. With regard to being creative, obviously there are limits to how "creative" it is possible to be about anything inherently or by nature "commonplace." In that event, what to do?

According to McKain, "you need to create what I have been (for more than two decades) calling the `Ultimate Customer Experience' (UCE)."How to do that? Here's the process that McKain recommends. First, ask this question: "What would happen if [begin italics] everything [end italics] went exactly right?" Next, if at all possible and to the extent possible, involve your clients in the process of creating the UCE. Ask them "If you could describe the ultimate experience of doing business with an organization like ours, what would that be?" The additional steps as well as these are best discussed with the narrative, in context. The key point is, that almost any organization, product, service, and even individual can "stand out" (i.e. have distinction, be differentiated) if there is at least one of the four cornerstones (preferably more and ideally all) in place.

Scott McKain invites readers in need of additional resources to visit the Web site for this book at http://CreateDistinction.com. He also recommends a number of books to which I add his previously published ALL Business Is Show Business and What Customers REALLY Want as well as Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force co-authored by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, Marty Neumeier's The Brand Gap: Expanded Edition and then Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands, and finally, Experiential Marketing: How to Get Customers to Sense, Feel, Think, Act, Relate co-authored by Bernd Schmitt and Alex Simonson.

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I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Thomas Nelson for introducing its "Nelsonfree" products. Those who purchase this one or any other books in the series can go to www.thomasnelson.com/nelsonfree, provide a name, e-mail address, and an ISBN number (this book's ISBN-13: 978-1595551856), answer a simple security question, and download free content that includes an ebook and an audio version.

Collapse of Distinction: Stand Up and Move Out While Your Competition Falls is an interesting book. The target audience is business owners who are looking for ways to make their businesses a success.

McKain's whole premise is that businesses are no longer distinct or individualistic. As a consumer, I found myself agreeing with much of what he said. After all, is there really that much difference between McDonald's, Burger King, or Wendy's? Yes, they have their slightly unique flavor but if you are traveling down the interstate and want a quick burger do you care which one is at the next exit?

If you are a business owner, McKain encourages you to focus on the one thing you do really well or the one thing that makes you different from everyone else. Market that difference to your customers while making them feel important and they'll keep coming back.

Why am I reviewing this book? Well, 10 years ago I owned a business (Pampered Chef consultant), my parents currently own a tire and oil change shop, and my brother owns a beef farm. I guess you could say business runs in the family.

But beyond the applications for businesses, I found much of what McKain said to be applicable to blogging (I write a blog). If you want to increase your blog readership then focus on those 1-3 topics you are passionate about. Then make your readers feel valued and they'll keep coming back to read about your passions.

If you own a business, are considering owning a business or own a blog I recommend you read this book.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car Founding Father, Jack Taylor, created an empire by putting customer service above everything else. His philosophy was simple (but not necessarily "easy"): Always deliver more than you promise, and always strive to exceed customers' expectations. It worked; Enterprise grew from being a small start-up company in 1957 to become the largest and most profitable car rental company in the world by the early '90s.

Clearly, what Jack Taylor managed to accomplish is what the author, Scott McKain is advocating in this terrific book. To be a dominant force in the market place, a company needs to successfully stand out from its competitors; by aggressively providing real value for its customers and marketing that competitive advantage to leverage growth, success stories like Enterprise Rent-a-Car happen.

During tough economic times (such as these), the ability to stand out from the crowd is critical for long-term survival. Master the techniques McKain provides, and a company will not only survive; it will thrive.

I have had the privilege and the pain of working for numerous companies of varying size and proficiency. They all had one frustrating thing in common--none reached their promising potential. It was mainly because they (we!) could never differentiate themselves from the similar minded businesses hawking similar wares. After reading Collapse of Distinction, I have a clearer understanding why.

Most business books are long on pontificating and short on practical application. What I found refreshing in this book was the information was easy to digest and the main concept centered around a couple of small businesses in rural Indiana. Their contrasting attempts to overcome personal "David vs. Goliath" moments form the main ideas in the book--how do you stand out and succeed, especially when facing long odds and low capital? The answer makes perfect sense. Since reading the book, I have made a point to observe the businesses I frequent and conduct my own personal field tests. The establishments where the principles laid out by Mr. McKain are being followed (whether they know it or not) are not only busy, they have a better vibe. And that proves that you don't have to be Starbucks to be successful and cool. Read the book. Then you'll understand.

I loved the subtitle: Stand out and move up while your competition fails. Unfortunately, this book didn't hold my attention.

Collapse Of Distinction contains solid content. There are valuable insights especially if you haven't studied differentiation and distinction before. It's just that there are better books out there on this topic. If you are interested in this topic at all, make sure you read the 30 year old classic, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. Al Ries and Jack Trout are marketing legends and give plenty of real life examples to get your mind turning to come up with your own distinctions.

Some books are like a roller coaster ride and some are like plowing a field. Unfortunately, this book falls into the latter category. McKain starts fairly strong detailing the problems with homogeneity in the business word however, quickly lapses into platitudes found in any number of business books. In other words, he fails to be distinct (irony noted). Unfortunately, this is all too common among the speakers on the business circuit. It just did not hold my attention.

I recently finished Collapse of Distinction by Scott McKain. I always appreciate the wisdom and insights of a good business book. McKain attempts to help business to really stand out from the crowd of their competition.

With the four cornerstones of Clarity, Creativity, Communication and Customer-Experience Focus, he gives lots of solid examples of companies who stand out in their field. I found the Executive Summary at the end of each chapter to be a great reference for looking back on things you've read... I'm not a person who underlines and writes in books (I want the book to look new. I know...weird!) so I found this feature helpful. He also includes some application points and questions at the end of each chapter to help you think through your company/brand and how you can set it apart from the others.

As a minister in a local church, I enjoy reading business books for insight into how we operate and lead. We have recently been re-working our process as a church, and I have been curious to read things that will help us differentiate ourselves and helps us to clarify who we are. I found this book to be so much on the business side of things that I had a hard time applying many of the principles to how we operate. However, I still found it to be a good, easy read and took away several good points. If anything, I feel like the four cornerstones are easily adapted to the church setting.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Collapse of Distinction by Scot McKain was one of the two business books I read last year. The first was geared towards photography and focused on making yourself stand out, but in a community-building, "everyone can win" way. Then I read the Collapse of Distinction. It also focused on distinction, as you can tell from the title, but in a more classic way.

My first impression was very good. The book is part of the new Thomas Nelson line called NelsonFree where you can download the ebook or audio for FREE if you buy the book. This is great for anyone who enjoys books in multiple formats, and kudos to Thomas Nelson for offering it.

I honestly found the book wandering, the stories slightly disconnected. The content was good, but mostly intuitive. You need to be different and not get sucked into the vortex of offering everything your competitors do. It seemed to take a long time to say simple things, was very repetitive. Reading it gave me good food for thought as a small businesswoman, but not as much as I felt like I should be. The executive summaries at the end of the chapter are probably as valuable as the whole book itself, which is a definite weakness. If you are struggling with finding your niche, you might appreciate this book, otherwise, I wouldn't say it should be at the top of your reading list.

I've been hesitant to review this book because others have done so in and eloquent fashion, and in great detail. I wish this book was around when I was struggling through my MBA. It is easy to read and grasp, without too much "business-ese." I bought it for my husband, a small business CEO, and he picked up some good pointers for future marketing.

I'm going to give it to a friend, who just is just starting as a marketing director for a small company. I think it will give her an edge. Thanks to Thomas Nelson for making this book available.

In Scott McKain's latest book Collapse of Distinction, he outlines beautifully what it takes for your organization to stand out and be noticed. He shares three destroyers that have the potential to be the demise of your organization. He also delivers four foundational cornerstones that will bring distinction for your company in the marketplace. I found myself reading familiar individual thoughts, but packaged together in a way that we're fresh, unique, and made perfect sense. I was very pleased with Scott's "nuts and bolts" style of writing. After every chapter I was left with several very practical steps that can be implemented today.

Is your business experiencing a decrease in sales and you can't quite figure out why? Are you a new business that desires to be noticed in the marketplace? If so, this book is a must read. This is a great book to read as a team and promises to provoke some serious questions about how you are doing business. This book is about the "heart" of your business. It focuses on the "why" and not just the "What" of your business. I believe that this book will bring back excitement and passion to your organization as you stand out and move up!