by Paul Simister
on May 19, 2015
The full title of this book by Joan Magretta is
“Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy“.
In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
An easy to understand introduction to the main strategy guru
Michael Porter shook up the world of strategy and big business with two books – Competitive Strategy in 1980 and Competitive Advantage in 1985.
Since then, he has become the established view and to often, other experts have tried to make their names by misrepresenting his work and arguing against these misrepresentations.
What’s covered in the book will be taught in every business school and it certainly was in my MBA studies although, by then, I’d read the original books. He fought back against his critics with a famous article in the Harvard Business Review called “What is Strategy” and also updated his five forces commentary in another article. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 18, 2015
The full title of this book by Cindy Barnes, Helen Blake & David Pinder is
“Creating and Delivering Your Value Proposition: Managing Customer Experience for Profit“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated this book as Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
A detailed look at value propositions for big companies
I’d better begin by clarifying what the authors mean by a value proposition because it may not be quite what you think if you use value proposition and unique selling point interchangeably.
The book says “A value proposition statement is a clear, compelling and credible expression of the experience that a customer will receive from a supplier’s measurably value-creating offering.” (page 22) [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 17, 2015
The full title of this book by Ben Settle is
“Crackerjack Positioning: How To Control the Way People Think About You in the Marketplace“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Great ideas to stand out
It’s ironic for a book about separating yourself away from your competitors has the same title as another excellent book about positioning yourself in a niche.
Put that to one side. This is well worth reading as it presents some excellent ways to create perceived space between you and most of your competitors. Combine approaches and your business can be seen as unique. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 16, 2015
The full title of this book by Don Reynolds is
“Crackerjack Positioning: Niche Marketing Strategy for the Entrepreneur“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent and it is Very Highly Recommended.
Here is my book review.
This is inspiring, even if it doesn’t tell you how to do it
I thought this was a super book when I read the hardback version and wrote my review on my Differentiate Your Business Blog on May 3, 2011.
Since then, I saw it was going cheap as a Kindle and I bought it again although I can’t yet comment on the quality of formatting for Kindle.
This book is a very enjoyable, interesting and thought-provoking read for any small business owner who wants to build a unique position in a niche market. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 10, 2013
Jump Start Your Business Brain: The Scientific Way To Make More Money by Doug Hall
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
I wish I had read this book many years ago.
It gives logical, statistical, scientific support for some of my marketing ideas and theories and it’s opened my eyes to many issues about creative thinking and innovation.
The Three Laws Of Marketing Physics
The book stresses that there are three laws of marketing which together create success: [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 7, 2013
Competitive and Corporate Strategy by Cliff Bowman and David Faulkner
Book Review Rating – Five Stars
This is a terrific book.
I believe it may be the best book ever written about business strategy.
It is even better than Michael Porter’s exceptional books “Competitive Strategy” and “Competitive Advantage” which are very comprehensive but I don’t think anyone would describe them as “easy-reads”.
Is Competitive and Corporate Strategy Really That Good?
In my opinion, Yes.
I can’t imagine being without it and the ideas on the customer matrix and producer matrix have gone into my coaching with some variations. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 3, 2013
Competing On Value by Mack Hanan and Peter Karp
Book Review – 5 Stars
“Competing on Value” by Mack Hanan and Peter Karp is a terrific book that was published in 1991.
Please don’t let its age put you off because the advice it gives is timeless. Some of the examples are dated but the message comes through very clearly.
Competing On Value is a sales book, pricing book and marketing book all rolled into one.
The concept of economic customer value is well established in the more specialised sectors of marketing and pricing. When “Competing On Value” was published, I believe that the concept of fixing your price on the value (or gain) your customer made from buying was very new. [continue reading…]
