by Paul Simister
on November 9, 2016
The full title of this book by Dennis Lewis is
Combat Zone: The Value Based Proposition
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars.
Here is my review.
Interesting For Sales People In B2B Markets
This wasn’t the book I was expecting to read as I thought it was about strategic marketing style value propositions.
Instead this is a book about selling in B2B markets where products can be sold on the basis of financial justification e.g. a chemical company might sell a new type of fertiliser that increases wheat yields per acre by 25% over the next best alternative. Depending on what you’re selling, you can therefore explain your advantage based on costs savings, extra revenue generated, faster payback for a machine or a combination of all three. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 8, 2016
The full title of this book by Jack Hardy is
Core Value Proposition: …A powerful tool that provides a customer focus to your business development
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars.
Here is my review.
Build your core value proposition up from five factors
This book makes the point that a core value proposition is a combination of:
– core values that are the basis for everything the business does;
– value proposition as a promise of particular values made to and believed by customers. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on October 14, 2016
In my review of the book
Marketing: Unique Selling Points and Creating a Tagline
by Amy Foxwell posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Two Stars.
Here is my review.
Don’t buy – I did and asked for my money back – because it is far too short
This is far too small to be of much value to anyone interested in the subject. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 4, 2015
The full title of the book by Jaynie Smith is
Creating Competitive Advantage: Give Customers a Reason to Choose You Over Your Competitors
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.
Here is my review.
Competitive advantage or benefit statement?
Every now and again I read a book that plenty of other people rave about but I don’t get. This is such a book. Sometimes the writing style just doesn’t click with me. Sometimes it’s the message in a book that’s the problem and that’s what happens here. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 18, 2015
The full title of this book by Jennifer S Cosculluela is
Find Your Own Unique Selling Proposition: Getting Ahead With USP
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Two Stars.
Here is my review.
Disappointing presentation and content
My first impressions weren’t good. I hadn’t expected this to be so small, it’s little more than a pamphlet. To add insult to injury, the contents are in a very small, sans serif font which makes it quite difficult to read, despite the double spacing between lines. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 21, 2015
In my review of
Strategic Positioning with Strategimetric Profiles
by Stuart Cook posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it One Star.
Here is my review
Very tedious
I rarely give up on business books and especially books about strategy for smaller businesses.
Unfortunately I did with this one because it’s so keen to push the PDQ Strategy (TM) brand and it is written in a very tedious style. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 18, 2015
The full title of this book by Alexander Osterwalder et al is
Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.
Here is my review.
It might make your head hurt…
This is a very stylish book, starting with the front and back covers which show the effects of good and bad value proposition designs respectively. It also includes access to online templates and exercises.
It is a follow-up to their earlier book Business Model Generation.
Does the style overwhelm the substance? [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 17, 2015
The full title of this book by Dave Berkus is
Positioning for Success: Insights for finding your business niche – from a master entrepreneur
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk I gave it Three Stars. This means Worthwhile.
Here is my review.
Tales of real world experience
The author writes as someone who has seen it and done it over the last 50 years as an angel investor and venture capitalist. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 16, 2015
In my review posted of
USP: How To Craft Your Unique Selling Proposition
by Tara Jacobsen and Rebekah Welch posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars.
Here is my review.
More focused on elevator pitches than an authentic, differentiating USP.
Working out how you can differentiate yourself from your competitors and communicate it to the customers is very important. Since this is an area of particular interest to me, I’m working my way around all the books.
This book takes quite a while to really get going and then produces a number of fill in the gaps phrases formulas to create what I think is much more of an elevator pitch than a USP although the two are linked. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 15, 2015
The full title of this book by Jalanda James is
Unique Selling Proposition Formulas For Positioning Your Small Business
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars.
Here is my review.
Interesting review of approaches to create USPs
I’m fascinated by how businesses differentiate themselves from competitors and how they communicate their differences to their potential customers.
I welcome this short, low cost book which sets out four formulas for creating a USP although it’s fairer to say that these are approaches rather than an X + Y style “fill in the blanks” formulas. [continue reading…]
