Customer Reviews

Full Price: Competing on Value in the New Economy

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Let's start with a premise: we'd all like to get full price for our goods and services. No one really wants to be on the losing end of a discount war. . . . and in that struggle, everybody loses. Full price sounds like a good idea. But, is it realistic? I began Winninger's latest book with a bit of skepticism.

Full Price begins with an emphasis on maximizing value perception. When I saw that phrase in the table of contents, I wondered what this book might say that hasn't already been said by countless authors beating the same drum. Aha! The difference is in the countless examples that illustrate every one of the author's points. Winninger walks his talk-the value of his book is certainly maximized by the real-life examples. I can't tell you how many ideas I gleaned from those examples-page after page of examples and best practices.

Winninger, founder of Winninger Institute for Market Strategy in Minneapolis, knows his stuff. He's a professional speaker and consultant who's worked with over a thousand companies in many fields. This is definitely a case of "been there, done that." You'll discover that value as you move through his 15 chapters. I chuckled when I noticed what the author did with the quotes at the start of each chapter. After quoting others for the first two chapters, he quoted himself for the rest! He must have enjoyed writing this book.

The book is organized very well. Chapter titles include Selling the Program, Vertical Integration, Segmenting Your Services to Targeted Customers, Owning the Customer's Buying Cycle, and Promoting Differences. This easy-to-read book gets more exciting as it continues, with chapters on Substantiating Value, Not Price; Living the Brand; Exploiting Technology; and Forging the Indestructible System. And every chapter is stuffed with best practice examples. Can you tell I was impressed with the way these examples brought the author's points to life?

The whole premise of the book is achieving Maximum Value Perception: seeking and fulfilling the highest need of your premium customer. Think about those words. Each is explained in the book, but let me share the questions that flow from the author's discussion: 1. Who is my premium customer? 2. What is my premium customer's highest need? 3. How do I determine my Maximum Value Perception? 4. How do I achieve Maximum Value Perception and receive full price? These questions are answered as the reader is stimulated, then we're off and running!

Fast read, summaries at the end of each chapter, validating footnotes, and a good index. This is a book you'll read eagerly, salivating at the thought of how you'll apply your learnings to overcome your competition. And this is a book you'll return to from time to time to stimulate more great ideas to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Through the many case studies in this book, Thom Winninger shows us how we can create value for our customers and clients. The bottom line is that he teaches us how to get our customers/clients to focus on what we can deliver rather than what we charge. I found this book easy to read, easy to understand and entertaining. The case studies (short and to the point) create examples that apply to just about every type of business.

Full Price is a must read for any leader, entrepreneur, or sales manager, and sales professional. It is the definitive guide for crafting your position in the mind, heart, and soul of your customers. Thom shares the wisdom, insights, strategies, and ideas that have made others a household name. Taken seriously, it can dramatically improve your profit margins immediately. Why compete on price when you can create value? Your customers will smile when they write you a check or agree to your proposal.

Winninger's book helped me and my small business to refocus on our pricing scheme and how we market ourselves as consultants. In the midst of being hit by the economic downfall, I've been able to apply the ideas in Full Price to reverse the direction of my company's fortunes and have lead to increasing profits once again.

I found the book easy to read, full or great ideas, and balanced with facts and figures. I wish I had read this earlier!

This book presents a cohesive plan to establish value rather than price as the means to appeal to an increasingly fickle and demanding customer base. Thom defines the marketplace into 3 segments, with the most important and loyal group desiring and deserving customization.

Focus on this group and it will increase your customer base, and their loyalty will provide enthusiastic referrals.

There are great examples of many different companies to learn from. I highly reccommend this book!

The author is a superb speaker but his writing lacks substance. Although I admire his attempt at using practical examples, many of them were not applicable to my business. The substantive information was very good but could have been contained in a speech or article.

The author is laso a great speaker, much better at speaking than writing. The anecdotes are superficial as the book is a compilation of presentation slides written in an afternoon.

If you are looking for a book that offers you about 250 pages of grammatical errors, tenuous examples, and page after page of shameless self-promotion than this is the book for you. If not, then I suggest you keep shopping.

Thom Winninger does it again! This book shows numerous examples of company's that are doing it right. I learned a lot about pricing and providing solid value from this book. If you're in business and looking to get a real advantage in the marketplace, this is a must-read book. Terry Brock - Orlando, FL