Advertising Books

This is how to sell...in any and all competitive markets..
If you are not aware or using this stuff...you are at a big time loss...or will loose sales to me.
-Measure your personal performance and professional development
-Establish and maintain executive relationships
-Destabilize the competition to win market share (THE BEST.BEST.BEST STUFF)
-Build personal credibility
-Utilize advanced blocking and trapping techniques (GREAT IDEAS)
-Objectively evaluate sales opportunities and pursue the right lead every time
-Anticipate and defend against competitors' attacks (ONLY WAY TOO GO!)

Jim Holden uses the metaphor of the Selling Fox to present ideas that will sharpen the skills of any competitive sales professional. Unlike many sales books, which have a "supervisory" voice, written from the perspective of someone who isn't actually battling away on the front lines, Holden writes about the reality of winning and keeping business. Foxes survive and thrive in an environment where another player is always scheming to steal their cheese, not move it. In fact, one unique aspect of this helpful guide is its practical advice on how to set traps for your competitors and take their clients away. That may not fit the rest of Holden's emphasis on integrity - but the law of the jungle is often what makes a sales professional a valued property. Maybe the fox analogy is overdone, but the phrase "super sales person" is even more careworn. We from getAbstract strongly recommend this book to those engaged in the noble business of selling, and to those who train them.

All, I mean ALL, ALL selling, ALL selling is competitive (or you are not in sales) in the new age of selling...info moves faster...decisions are made with differnt spins...and he or she who discerns the buying process and measures every step wins. Jim shows you how...this info is not new yet an expansion of material first introduced years ago on Power Base Selling (the best book on Sage selling ever) and World Class...this book targets the individual skills and intuition of the Selling Fox. Great work. Have read 'SPIN-SPUN' selling and feel that executing that process can be a bigger negative vs. positive to gettting the job done...read 'High Prob Selling' and this will greatly compliment Holdens concepts to some extent. Holden's books will always house my shelf wtih ONLY a few others...'Toa of Sales,' Behr, 'Major Account Selling,' Rackham, 'Solution Selling and High Prob Selling" and of course the BOMB of them all 'The Selling Fox,' Holden. MUST READ! Honest and real!! No hype and bla-bla about... maybe this, that, and the other.

"The Selling Fox" dots the "i's" and crosses the "t's" on developing a personalized business development system, operative in any marketplace. As the author states, it is the centerpiece to his other two references, "Power Base Selling" and "World Class Selling." As advertised, it is a "field guide" for increasing sales performance, with reference points from how to create demand, to how to close business, right under your competitor's nose. The reference points of Jim Holden's personal ethos are integrity, intelligence, intensity, and innovation. Connect those dots and you'll have a picture of the man behind the fox.

Strategic and Tactical Marketing specialists alike concentrate on myriad issues affecting business success, but tend to assume facilities management is not an issue. This book clearly shows just how important the bathroom can be to the overall marketing picture. If your local retailer or restaurant neglects this simple issue, imaging how their customers might view expectations in the greater value proposition.
Skip to the Loo brings to light a serious issue that too many business owners neglect or ignore completely. This should be required reading for any small business that is looking for ways to differentiate themselves. This is an easy read, thorough, and a great resource for "how to do it right".

Linda Wright has delved into a subject that most business owners are aware of but never take the time to do something about. Bathrooms make an impression on our customers and the extra effort in providing an appealing room DOES make a difference. Linda goes the extra mile with details that make a statement for the business. Thank you for an easy approach to a great marketing tool!

I really never thought about how stores, resturants and supermarket bathrooms made me feel about their product line or business, until I read this book. Linda Wright has hit the nail on the head. If businesses want to improve customer relations they need to read this book. some small changes can make a lasting impressions on customers. I certainly seek out the places that have friendly bathrooms and do my business there, no pun intended!

Like Linda Wright, I'm a photo industry retailer. And I've always felt a little guilty when one of my customers wanted to use the bathroom. Like it wasn't exactly up to par.

Unlike me, Linda DID something about it. In "Skip to the Loo" she shows exactly why the right bathroom makeover is a much better form of marketing than many of the advertising media we keep throwing money at.

The right facilities - coupled with the right policies - may not have customers beating a path to your door. But one woman tells another, and she tells 2 others. We'd call it "viral marketing" but probably shouldn't talk about viruses and bathrooms in the same sentence...

My initial reaction was that Linda had taken a topic deserving of a paragraph and turned it into a book. Then I read the whole thing and realized it's all good.

From little things like choosing which way the TP should come off the roll (yes, there really is a correct choice) to the layout of fixtures, "Skip to the Loo" covers EVERYTHING.

Spurred on by the comments of industry pundits, I had upgraded my own store's loo several months ago. Now I'm going to go back and do the rest of the job.

A really interesting account of women's (slow) progress into politics from someone who lived it. Harriet endured a lot of bias and discrimination as she ran for public office (won some and lost some) and found that running was the easy part! She headed up the Women's Poltical Caucus and made it a credible force for women in politics, she opened many doors for women who came later. For me, with a new interest in politics and a desire to see women play a greater role in our democracy - Harriet's story is important and necessary background.

This book fills a gap in political literature and should be required reading for all those involved in politics at the grassroots level as well as numerous political science classes. The emergence of women into the political mainstream was probably the most important political trend in the United States in the last half of the 20th century and is one sure to continue into the 21st century. It is important not only because when we have men and women serving together in government, we have better government; but it is incredibly important to the status of women throughout the world. This book is essential because of the importance of its subject. In detailing her struggles in politics, Woods gives excellent practical advice and perspective to women politicians trying to get elected, women office holders trying to impact the political process of city, county, state and federal governments, and also to men to better understand the particular differences and benefits to working together. Whether she is talking about her early struggles in the Missouri legislature or the impact of the Anita Hill hearings during Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation process, Woods makes these events jump alive for us and helps us gain perspective on the critical impact women have had and can have as partners in the governmental process. This book assumed an added poignance for me because during my reading of it, the plane crash occurred that claimed the life of Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan. It is interesting to hear Woods' references to him in this book. Clearly, I highly recommend this book for all involved in the political process, both men and women. As a man, we cannot afford to allow the talents of our daughters, wife, mother, grandmothers, aunts and friends to be ignored and unrealized. The opportunity to now expand the role of women in government may be one which will have the most impact in improving our political system here in the United States and around the world.

Former Lt. Gov. Harriet Woods presents her insights into the changes she has witnessed over past decades. Particular insights are presented on changes in how the public regards women in politics.
It was only three decades ago when few were concerned with how the majority of women felt on issues, according to Ms. Woods. Few women existed in such professional occupations as physician and attorney. (In 1960, 95% of law degrees were awarded to men. Today, about one third of law school graduates are female.) The use of contraceptives then was a crime. The term "domestic violence" had yet to enter our collective vocabulary. Readers unfamiliar with this past will marvel as they read how far women, as a group, have advanced in some (but definitely not all) areas within one generation.
These times are described along with the career of Harriet Woods. Entering politics over public inattentiveness to her complaints over a loose manhole, Harriet Woods continued her activism when appointed to a City Council vacancy. From there, she was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1976, served as Lt. Governor, and then led the National Womens Political Caucus.
Harriet Woods did not at first want to be identified as a
"women's issues" politician. She soon learned there was a substantial need for her to advocate women's issues. Fortunately she also was able to make her mark in others areas, such as drafting and passing model nursing home reform legislation.
The 1960s opened new discussions regarding the status of women, Harriet Woods writes. More women entered politics. Even today, though, very few women with small children are politically active. Harriet Woods notes that 85% of female office holders are over 40 years in age. By comparison, 28% of male office holders are age 40 or younger.
The role of women in politics has changed dramatically in Harriet Woods's lifetime. This book is an excellent record of those changes written by someone who both observed and participated in these changes.

Harriett Woods tells it like it is for women in politics..she's been there...and also for women who want a voice and action in the world of power. There is plenty of virtual reality here written honestly and skillfully. She is challenging us to have the courage to step up to power in government but also in business and daily life.You go,girl!

After reading plenty of those "say what I say, exactly as I say it" sales books, none of which I found truly helpful out in the field, this book was like a breath of fresh air. Easy to read and easy to adapt to personal styles it is a treasure trove of good advise. If you actually care about your customers and want them to return to you on a regular basis, this is the book for you.

I manage a distributor sales force throughout the U.S. and Canada. After reading this book (actually WHILE reading this book) I applied the information and witnessed immediate success, as did my sales reps. The information is direct, common sense, well presented, easy reading and entertaining. It is not full of 'theory', but actual 'meat' that can be applied each day after reading even a chapter or two the night before. I am buying books for each of my reps and feel it is one of the best gifts I could ever give them. Well done!

From my many varied experiences, I realize that I just don't like selling, but when I was trying to bone up on my sales skills, I found this book to be the most useful. It is heads and shoulders above other books on the subject and it was so intersting that I probably read it cover to cover in a day or two. The advice is extremely practical and you are learning great principles of selling. You are not learning a bunch of closing dialogues that only work for the person who invented them. Easily digested, the principles allow you to adjust your approach in mid-sale because you are asking questions whose answers will tell you what you need to do or say next (positioning.) Tons of great info here. It should really be a textbook for sales classes.

The problem with any "how to sell" book like this is, until you can integrate the advice given here so that it comes naturally to you, you will sound as mechanical and forced as some of the "tellers" Richardson criticizes. I used to sell big-tiicket business-to-business, and I can say the advice here is timeless: engage your customer, identify what your customer's needs are and position your product so that the customer realizes that your product meets their needs. Of course, if the customer doesn't need your product, then maybe you need to learn some of those "hard-ball sales" techniques (or find a better product!). No amount of customer empathy, listening, or product positioning will help you overcome a customer-product mismatch. Which brings me to a point: although Richardson argues against this, I think playing hardball has a place in negotiations; remember, the party you are negotiating with doesn't always have to feel warm and cozy inside in the process. A true persuader will know when to be soft and fluffy and when to apply the pressure.

Also, the whole paradigm-replacement languuage ("we are moving into a new age of selling...") is corny. The advice Richardson is giving is not new or revolutionary, as she claims. But she has succeeded in organizing a lot of really good sales principles in a clear and coherent way which can easily be appreciated by readers.

I read this book together with Richardson's "Selling by Phone" and frankly, one is just a rehash of the other. Richardson copied entire paragraphs from one in writing the other. So save your money and buy just one of the two. But if you are an accidental salesperson, or even if by trade you are not a salesperson but you are occasionally called upon to negotiate (maybe you are a lawyer or a manager) Richardson's books will be a refreshing introduction to the discipline of negotiation and persuasion.

A complete and well-written guide to technology marketing strategy. If you're new to technology marketing, or maybe you've only concentrated on one aspect of it, this book will be your bible. Lots of case studies and very easy to read. Highly recommended.

Lots of case studies & examples from a broad range of tech companies. Chapter 10: Position of Marketing in high-tech companies & Appendix A: Key Success Factors provide unique insights. The chapter on marketing strategy is weak and biased toward advertising, which is used widely only by the largest companies.

This is the third edition of a book which has developed what could be called a cult following (especially in Europe) among senior-level executives in high-tech organizations. I think it will also be of substantial interest and value to others who are directly associated with those executives. Viardot carefully organizes his material within these ten chapters:

The Meaning of Marketing for High-Tech Firms
Corporate and Marketing Strategies in the High-Tech Industry
Knowing Customers and Markets
Understanding Competitors
Selecting Markets
Product Strategy
Distributing and Selling High-Tech Products
Communication Strategy for High-Tech Products
Pricing High-Tech Products
The Position of Marketing Within High-Tech Companies

I have included the chapter titles so as to indicate both how the material is organized and to suggest that what Viardot provides is a cohesive and comprehensive program, one which offers all manner of strategies by which an organization can avoid joining "a cemetery full of companies that [incorrectly] thought they could win the world with their innovations." Why did they fail? Because they did not have "the marketing ability to connect their innovative offer with the actual needs of the markets." Viardot cites several "famous failures" of high-tech firms which include EMI, the R&D division of Xerox, and AMD. Why have other companies succeeded? Because they have tended to market two or three times as many new products as their competitors while incorporating two to three times more technical innovations into each new product, thereby bringing actual value to their customers. "Also, they introduce their products to the market two times faster than their competitors thanks to operational excellence [which Viardot discusses in Chapter 6], one of the main weaknesses of so many dot-coms that underestimated the importance of manufacturing and logistics." For these companies, marketing is their main objective: the ultimate key to their success and resilience is their ability to "determine the needs of the [given] market and to assure that the products manufactured by [them] correspond precisely to these needs with a competitive advantage and at a profit." According to Viardot, companies which demonstrate these attributes include Nokia, IBM, Cisco Systems, Samsung, SAP, Yahoo, Vodaphone, Amazon, and eBay.

Thoughtfully, Viardot provides a Summary at the end of each of the ten chapters and then two appendices after the final chapter: "[Seven] Key Success Factors of a Marketing Department in a High-Tech Company" and "The Marketing Plan" which includes a "SWOT Analysis" by which to identify the Strengths and Weaknesses of current marketing strategies, Opportunities and Threats, and issues which must therefore be addressed. According to Viardot, successful high-tech firms must first deliberately define the place of their marketing structure within their entire organization, then design (or redesign) the internal organization of their marketing structure with the utmost attention and care, and finally, optimize the cooperation of the marketing structure with all other departments. Hence the importance of effective internal communication, productive collaboration, and sufficient resources. At all times, senior management must support these initiatives "wholeheartedly."

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Marketing As Strategy: Understanding the CEO's Agenda for Driving Growth and Innovation in which, as Philip Kotler notes in the Foreword, Nirmalya Kumar "introduces a framework for analyzing and planning marketing strategy in terms of the three Vs: valued customer, value proposition, and value network...[he also] proposes ways to deal with growing commoditization, price pressure, and the increasing market power of global mega-retailers...[as he strives] to show how the marketing discipline 'could become more strategic, cross-functional, and bottom-line oriented' than ever before." As will Viardot's, Kumar's book will be of substantial value to all organizations (regardless of their size and nature) which are in urgent need of driving their growth and innovation. I also highly recommend Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton's The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment.

When marketers transfer into high-tech businesses for the first time, they often ask me what book I recommend to help them understand the special issues they face. Such executives would be well advised to acquire, read and understand the many valuable lessons in this book. There is no major theme related to high-tech marketing that is not explored in this book. For those who would like to know more, each chapter references the top sources for these issues.

The book is well organized, each segment is easy to read and understand, and all of the chapters have helpful summaries at the end to help you absorb what you have just studied.

The book will not, however, be of as much value to those who have worked in the industry for at least five years. These executives will have absorbed most of the book's lessons on their own. For that reason, I suggest that this book will be of most value to those who are new to high-tech marketing.

I get frustrated when I read a business book that is long on theory and short on practicality. After you have convinced me of the value of a new idea -- show me how to implement it. This book delivers at that level.

Not only does the author put the spotlight on the value of really creating a great agency brand, but then he tells you how to do it.

Well worth the read.

Advertising and Brand Building Agencies generally sell branding strategies to their clients but most of them have no clue about their own brands. I really enjoy this book because it is specifically about Agency Brands and how to brand them. I really believe as an agency owner that we should build our own brands before we even consider selling ideas to other brands. I always saw myself as the brand manager of my own company. Leading by example is great strategy, first build your own brand than sell advice to others.

Tim Williams takes us in a very helpful journey about how to brand agencies. He raises very important questions and defines a clear path for branding agencies. I took a lot of notes while reading this title and thought it was well worth the time.

I reccomend this book to agency owners, leaders and anyone who is in a related business.

If readers are only able to apply 20% of the excellent advice and guidance in this book then reading it would be time very well spent. Agencies do this stuff all the time for their clients - but are often hopeless at it themselves, Tim reminds them how.

As the author, I've received several comments and reviews about "Take a Stand for Your Brand," which are posted below.
TIM WILLIAMS

"The shoemaker story about holes in their shoes applies to ad agencies as well. `Take a Stand for Your Brand' inspires the people who market for a living to market themselves."
JONATHAN BOND, KIRSHENBAUM AND BOND

"Pull up a chair with Tim Williams and some of the best minds in the business as they take a moment to show you how the creative skills you use to make brands famous can be deployed on yourself."
JIM MOUNTJOY, LOEFFLER KETCHUM MOUNTJOY

"We in the advertising business are our own worst clients. This book helps agency principals look inward and do for their own brand what they do for their clients' brands. It stands out from the glut of `How to Succeed in Business' books by focusing on how to succeed in the advertising business."
STEVE LAUGHLIN, LAUGHLIN-CONSTABLE

"This is a handbook for any agency that wants to set itself apart from the pack. Tim Williams has distilled much of the best thinking ever done about brands and applied it single-mindedly to the agency business model. It ought to be mandatory reading for serious students of the business."
ROBERT F. LAUTERBORN, JAMES L. KNIGHT PROFESSOR OF ADVERTISING, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA

"Tim Williams has the best grasp on agency brand positioning I have ever seen. It deserves as wide an audience as possible within our industry."
CINDY GALLOP, FORMER CHAIRMAN, BARTLE BOGLE HEAGARY (NEW YORK)

The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Optimization provided solid tips and actionable information for both new and experienced marketers and entrepreneurs. Having a keen understanding of the techniques of SEM is valuable for the do-it-yourselfer or the corporation that hires a firm. I find myself turning to the pages over and over again as a reference guide. It sits next to my frequently used dictionary and thesaurus in my office and has become a key resource. I was especially pleased at the inclusive nature of the book. Jon Rognerud is one of the few search marketers who opened the door to the secret club for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an online presence.

Jon Rognerud has compiled a comprehensive resource in Entrepenuer Magazine's entry into the SEO how-to. It is also open-ended, in that readers can sign up on his website for more information and updates. This is a Web 2.0 book, in the truest sense. I would usually get a book like this from the library, but I purchased it so I could refer back to it over the coming years.

I think this is a very good resource for people who want to go beyond superficial actions and really understand how to optimize web sites and get good results. It has my recommendation

This is my second review of this book. Somehow my first review was not posted. As an adwords professional, this SEO book was a great insight into dominating the search engines using proven tips, tricks and strategies in todays online marketing. I am pasted on the screen waiting to see what Jon Rognerud has coming next.

This book is great and really easy to read. In no time at all you will learn how to create profitable ads. If it weren't for the knowledge bestowed on me by Claude Whitacre, my advertising dollars would be wasted. Before you buy another ad, read this book! My direct mail rep even read it and exclaimed how she "saw the light". Look for her review soon!

Claude Whitacre is brilliant! He shows you step-by-step how to construct a print ad that will make you money on the first run. There is no reason why a small business can't make money on all their advertising if they use the "little jewels" that Claude lays out in this book. It's a must for any small business owner!

I read Claude's book. Then I reread about 1/2 of it and rewrote my yellow pages ad(deadline was in 2 days). Yes Claude even talks about yellow pages, billboards, direct mail, and other advertising many small businesses do as well as newspaper, radio, and TV. Claude believes advertising is an investment that should bring immediate measurable returns, not an expense. His real world expertise as a small businessman is a welcome change from books full of $64 words by professors or how to advertise if you have a $10,000,000 budget. He also shows businesses that have multiple products how selling to existing customers can be easier than getting new ones, and how to do it inexpensively. My only criticism is his view of radio and TV, as it seems most of his experience is in print. Broadcast doesn't really work like print, in my opinion. But for a small business looking to increase sales for not a lot of money, or even reducing their advertising expenditures by making what they do more effective, this is a must read.

I have been told by Ad Reps that your ad needs to be seen 7-13 times before people will respond. I've also heard from Reps that the job of their ad is to get people to the door, and nothing more. I finally got tired of listening to all that noise, and decided I wanted to learn how to write and design ads that worked.

By ads that work, I mean ads that more than pay for themselves. Ads that generate a return on the investment. Until I ran across Claude and his book, I didn't know how my small business could advertise effectively.

Using techniques Claude teaches in "The Unfair Advantage", my latest ad became the first one I've ever been able to see pay off in spades. I spent $275 on a 9 inch ad in my local paper (17k circulation) ten days ago, and so far it has pulled in $3,297 in gross sales. What's better yet, every one of those buyers is a new customer. That's what I've been looking for, and Claude helps me create results instead of hopeless frustration.

Easy to read and understand, The Unfair Advantage makes it clear that anyone can get results from ads using the good common sense that Claude provides through years of study and trial and error. Because he is also a small independent business owner, he "gets it" from our point of view.

Claude shows you how to create an irresistible offer and combine it with a headline that "grabs you by the face". He shows examples of ads that have worked, and those that fell flat, and why.

Interestingly, there is a short section written to Ad Reps, and why they should want to learn how to help their clients create winning, profitable ads. If you are a small independent business owner, or sell advertising to small independents for a living, you should buy this book in a heartbeat. I now believe I can make my advertising and marketing efforts pay off, that these efforts will be the best investment of my time at work. And I have Claude to thank for opening my eyes to that opportunity.

I read the book purely out of curiosity. I co-manage a high tech company so at first I was disappointed since none of the high tech companies are included in the book. But I started reading it anyway because I wanted to read what some of the famous companies like Caterpillar and UPS are doing to gain market-leadership. Although some of the company stories get to be tedious, most are useful and fun to read. And even though none is from a high tech company, it gave me ideas for my own business. Now whenever I am faced with a customer problem, I would be thinking of one or the other story to come up with my own innovative ways of solving the customer's problem and to meet his or her value requirements. Beyond the stories, what I found useful is the customer value framework the authors offer. At first, it looks deceptively basic and simple; but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed valuable. Its simplicity is a good thing. Authors claim that it is comprehensive - I am not sure yet, but so far every value creation activity I could think I could fit into the framework. And I could apply it to my company. Indeed the framework is applicable to any company in any industry. The book offers nothing in the way of quick-fix. And when you finish reading it, don't expect to run with excitement, eager to implement something. Rather, the book's framework gives you a template to use in long term, cool-headed, planning. It does not matter if you are a small business or a large business, and if you are a established company or a start up, the book's framework will be a handy tool for constantly thinking about various avenues of creating "unusual and complete" customer value.

I read the book purely out of curiosity. I co-manage a high tech company so at first I was disappointed since none of the high tech companies are included in the book. But I started reading it anyway because I wanted to read what some of the famous companies like Caterpillar and UPS are doing to gain market-leadership. Although some of the company stories get to be tedious, most are useful and fun to read. And even though none is from a high tech company, it gave me ideas for my own business. Now whenever I am faced with a customer problem, I would be thinking of one or the other story to come up with my own innovative ways of solving the customer's problem and to meet his or her value requirements. Beyond the stories, what I found useful is the customer value framework the authors offer. At first, it looks deceptively basic and simple; but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed valuable. Its simplicity is a good thing. Authors claim that it is comprehensive - I am not sure yet, but so far every value creation activity I could think I could fit into the framework. And I could apply it to my company. Indeed the framework is applicable to any company in any industry. The book offers nothing in the way of quick-fix. And when you finish reading it, don't expect to run with excitement, eager to implement something. Rather, the book's framework gives you a template to use in long term, cool-headed, planning. It does not matter if you are a small business or a large business, and if you are a established company or a start up, the book's framework will be a handy tool for constantly thinking about various avenues of creating "unusual and complete" customer value.

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ValueSpace? What is it? What does it do for my business?

We are constantly asked these questions since the book's release. They are best answered by us in the preface, excerpted below.

PREFACE

ValueSpace -we hold it in utmost admiration.

ValueSpace-it is to us the be-all and the end-all of all business activity; the only purpose of all businesses. It is the only justifiable goal of all reengineering, organizational renewal, entrepreneurship and corporate innovation. And it is the only path for sustained growth; for winning the battle for market leadership. It is the space where true market value is created. For shareholders; for employees; and, most of all, for customers. We present in this book a blueprint on how companies can build enduring ValueSpace for their customers.

This book is at the intersection of our two long-held obsessions: As university professors, we view ourselves as lifelong learners; and for decades, we have been students of customer behavior on the one hand and business organizations on the other. We have studied theories of customer behavior-indeed created some of them ourselves--, and for decades, we have observed, analyzed, and written about business processes, precepts, and practices. In this book, we bring these two streams together-our knowledge of customers and our knowledge of businesses. This is our ValueSpace for you, the reader: Uniquely in the current sea of business advice books, we combine the customer and business perspectives.

We set out to understand what constitutes value for the customer and how companies can create it. With financial support from the Marketing Science Institute (a Cambridge-based nonprofit research organization), .. we studied 11 Fortune's Most Admired Companies. ... Our framework, comprising the components of ValueSpace and its drivers, is quintessential-no matter what else you do or do not do, you must create these value components. Our framework is enduring-it is not the "project of the month"; long after the current fads have vanished, you must still build the value components we describe. Our framework is universal-it applies to all companies: manufacturing and service; small business or global enterprises, business-to-business or business-to-consumer; physical or digital; dot-com or not-com.

We intend this book to be a blueprint for thought as well as practice. We present conceptual framework to help you plan; we provide a self-audit form that you can use to assess your company's current standing in the ValueSpace; and we present case histories, stories of the most admired companies, and insights from executive interviews that you would find both inspirational and actionable. It is a hands-on guide to launching your journey into the customer ValueSpace.

Our own journey has been fascinating; we have learned a lot-from the Most Admired Companies we studied; from the executive interviews we did specifically for this research; and from thousands of conversations over the years with consumers, mangers, and corporate leaders just like yourselves. It is a pleasure and privilege to share with you our view of Customer ValueSpace, and our total fascination with it.

(End of Preface) * * *

VALUESPACE FOR BUSINESS EXECUTIVES

How You Can Use the Book:

Knowledge is the foundation for all strategy and sound executive action. This book will give you:

a. A Perspective: A framework for thinking about your customers' ValueSpace, and indeed about your business itself.

b. A Strategic Planning Tool. The book contains an Audit self-survey both for nine ValueSpace components and 40 driver processes. You can use this tool to assess your company's current standing and then plan action to move forward in the ValueSpace.

c. As an Account Planning Tool. For each major customer, you can identify the gaps in the ValueSpace you can fill.

d. As an Executive Training Tool. As a platform for Executive Training, the book can inform, guide, and frame the continuing education experiences in corporate universities and in-house Executive training centers.

Once you adopt the ValueSpace thinking, the potential to explore avenues of value creation are limited only by your creativity and vision.

* * * * * * *

SELECTED EXCERPTS

Value, not money, is the basic currency of all human interaction. When we meet someone, we try to quickly assess how long would it be worth our while to be talking to that person. If an incoming phone call shows up on our called ID, we promptly decide if we would gain anything by taking the call at that time. If we get 10 letters in the mail, we look through them and choose to open only those that we expect to contain some information of value to us. This is even more true for marketplace exchanges.... ...

Companies that invent new values such as these possess certain traits. They observe customers real close. They dig customer need to its essential core. And they keep their eyes on a singular target: creating far fetched new ValueSpace for the customer. These traits indeed lead a business to mold its own self-concept in the customer's image. Rosenbluth redefines the very nature of its business as "business interaction management." And 3M comes to view itself, instead of being a maker of masking tapes, abrasive papers, and adhesives, as a provider of bonding, protection, and masking solutions.....

This reinvention of oneself as a corporate being, this customer-centered adoption of a new self-identity, the constant contemplation of the customer desires -this is what it takes to invent unparalleled ValueSpace for the customer. This is what it takes to win the battle for market leadership. This is what it takes to thrive.

* * * * * * *

IN CONCLUSION

We hope you enjoy the book. We will certainly be grateful for your feedback. You can send it to us at BanMittal@MyValueSpace.com.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

A few years ago, I read a New York Times bestseller, The Discipline of the Market Leaders, by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema. Since its publication, I have heard a lot of managers quoting from it. In this bestseller, authors Treacy and Wiersema describe three strategies: product leadership, operational excellence, and customer intimacy. My fellow executives translate these as product, price, and service, and we all generally agree that to compete, "You have to be good at two, and be excellent at the third."

Last week I read ValueSpace by Mittal & Sheth. It changed my interpretation of Treacy and Wiersema's book. I realized how wrong every manager's understanding of Treacy and Wiersema's book had been. The confusion is between the Marketspace and Valuespace. Treacy/Wiersema's book tells us WHAT market to compete in (Marketspace); Mittal/Sheth's book tells us HOW to compete in the chosen market (ValueSpace). Their discussion of this distinction in Chapter 12 was an eye-opener. They also do a great job of tying up the theme of their book with the themes of other business bestsellers, such as Tom Peter's In Search of Excellence and Collins and Porras' Built to Last.

I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned with business strategy. If you have read other bestsellers on business strategy, you can't afford to miss this one. I only wish the authors had made Chapter 12 as their first chapter. . My suggestion would be to read Chapter 12 first. Then the rest of the book would be doubly meaningful.

This is a great book. It's a definitive reference on the somewhat obscure subject of Victorian Trade Cards, but for those of us who love them, it's a feast. It is crammed with illustrations, broken into categories, and contains history and collecting tips. The pricing information is somewhat out of date, due to the impact that online auctions have had on these collectables (some are more expensive, some less, as auctions make them more available.) If you're at all a fan of this genre, don't hesitate to buy this book!

Vastly illustrated and very informative. Although the majority of this book is pictures (very nice ones at that), there are some very interesting facts and historical information about the victorian card craze. Because there are in excess of 100,000 different cards in existance, don't expect to find every card in here or the current market price. It is just a matter of time before a more extensive guide is published, (I would still recommend because of the great illustrations!) The only problem I have with this book is the layout which can be annoying if you are trying to find info on one of your cards. You have to search through several sections of the book. (e.g. Jackson's chewing tobbaco card in the "Exploration and Travel" chapter instead of the "Tobbaco" chapter). More expensive cards are usually only discussed in the chapter rather than illustrated, which I find kind of strange(Maybe he didn't own any of those to get the photo?).

The beautiful 224 page, 8 1/2 x 11" softbound book contains more than 500 full color, sharp, large photos. '98 values. There are 70 topics ranging from angels, baseball, dolls, expositions to Uncle Sam, women, wringers and washing. There's plenty of background information on each topic. A useful glossary of terms is provided. A must for tradecard collectors. Fascinating to read and refer to.

If you find this book lying on someone's coffee table, don't pick it up--you'll be hooked! I am not an aficionado of trade cards, but I found this book to be endlessly fascinating. Cheadle wisely keeps his writing to a minimum, letting the illustrations speak for themselves-- page after page. I know of no book that is more intriguing just to page through. Henry Kort (kort@ainet.com)