3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unique Selling Proposition, November 30, 2007
This review is from: The Inside Advantage: The Strategy that Unlocks the Hidden Growth in Your Business (Hardcover)
This is an interesting twist on the Unique Selling Proposition (USP). The idea of which has been around a long, long time. Though the idea isn't new Bloom has renamed USP the uncommon offering in his honor. But just because the book lacks novelty doesn't mean it is without merit. In my opinion it is worth reading especially for the entrenched business looking to break-out into double digit growth. This book provides a simple plan for growth through solid, proven marketing principles and business simplification.
The uncommon offering, is the "Inside Advantage" and it all starts with what you are already doing according to Bloom. Discovering the hidden potential inside your business is about the `growth discovery processes.' Meaning you don't have to reinvent your business or branch out for more offerings making thing more complicated. Instead you will need to uncover and capitalize on you're ONE thing. That ONE thing your business does better than the competition. The growth discovery process is uncovering the hidden potential that already exists in your offering. Then Improve it.
This book offers us a four step process and each step is broken down into its own components. The four steps of the big picture are:
1) Find your CORE customers. Beyond demographics; beyond what you may think of when you think of your customers. It is interesting to look at possibilities for the WHO and consider all of the options, such as defining your core customers based on their value for; being the best braggers for your product, being the biggest customers, being the longest relationship with you, being the least lily to complain, being the most likely to repeat their business, being the most likely to not repeat and why. Then you may want to identify these same customers in your competitor's base. Do a little demographic shifting and look at the next step.
2) Discover and deliver your uncommon offering, just listen to your core customers. They will tell you what you do best and why they buy it from you. You will want to examine this from an external and internal base. Writing down all of the ideas and phases people use to describe your offering and distill it down to a statement of 10 to 15 words.
3) Develop persuasive strategies in written statements for action. Growing your business through refining your communication and thought association for your company and offering. To me this read like some of the better branding books I've read lately, but in a short abbreviated chapter. This is a lesson in statements in action to immediately associate your offering with your company.
4) Imaginative acts. Creative public relations or publicity stunts that are tied to your uncommon offering and for the benefit of your core customers. There are some very good examples of what other companies have done most of which you will be familiar with.
I can recommend this book to any company that is looking to break out of a rut they may be in. However, for most creative, progressive companies it will just be a good reminder of what works. This book does a very good job of chronologically drafting out a step by step process employed by the Author. (His record of success speaks for itself)
For the small, new business or start-up this book is good, but you will need to put it into context for the size of clients Bloom works with and the fact that they are very established.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A solid, specific and well portrayed way to grow revenue, December 5, 2010
This review is from: The Inside Advantage: The Strategy that Unlocks the Hidden Growth in Your Business (Hardcover)
A step-by-step map for growing a revenue stream, by discovering the growth engine that's right inside the business. Numerous examples.
This is the most specific approach I've yet seen, and it's applicable to most any business.
Read it, do the thinking and planning it lays out, and revenue will very likely rise noticeably.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Required reading for any marketer out there, December 9, 2008
This review is from: The Inside Advantage: The Strategy that Unlocks the Hidden Growth in Your Business (Hardcover)
The author is a very seasoned successful marketer with a long list of very high impact campaigns to his credit. On top of the experience he brings the knowledge and insight to make the sometime esoteric topic of marketing very simple and straightforward. Our history in this market ties completely in what Bloom espouses. He brings good value with this book , as he lays out not only what to do , but step by step how to do this work with your own people. This is required reading for any marketer and a CEO would find this tremendously informative. I always enjoy the client stories and found his on NeoCitran/Theraflu, Nestle, Southwest Airlines and T-Mobile especially compelling. Check out www.insideadvantage.org
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