Exceeding Customer Expectations: What Enterprise, America's #1 car rental company, can teach you about creating lifetime customers Review

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Exceeding Customer Expectations: What Enterprise, America's #1 car rental company, can teach you about creating lifetime customers ReviewEXCEEDING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS by Kirk Kazanjian may be viewed in a variety of ways. Many will consider this book nothing more than a marketing campaign, and in large part, they would be correct. However, I find no fault in that. If that were the intention of the people at Enterprise, it is ingenious. They certainly won my loyalty, not that I ever have much need to rent a vehicle, but if I ever do,....
Others might view this book just as the title opines, an instructional treatise on customer service. They too would be correct, but only to a certain degree. I say that because I found the book to be more of a business model. In fact, I would say this book is broken down thusly; 50% business model, 30% Enterprise company history and 20% customer service. Therefore, my only big knock on this book is the title, which leads the reader to believe customer service is the primary focus here. It is not. That is not to say, however, that readers will not glean valuable information on customer service, just not as much as this reader would have liked.
The book reads well and Kazanjian is to be commended for his work, but I do not believe the story paints quite the intended picture. I found in large part, the Enterprise Company bumbled its way into prosperity because a few headstrong employees refused to follow company policy! A good example is the Enterprise "we'll pick you up" mantra. I won't give too much of the book away, but this and other business innovations within the company happened by chance. Please do not mistake this as ridicule of the company. Enterprise is certainly a gem in today's marketplace, just understand that according to this book, much of the company's success wasn't planned that way. Perhaps that in and of itself is what has made them successful; their ability to adapt.
I would like to make one other observation about the title of the book. My fear is that many will miss out on this book because of the title. This is an excellent resource for constructing a business model and is, at best, a mediocre source on customer service. If you are on a quest for knowledge on "exceeding customer expectations" you will likely be disappointed here as there are certainly more informative volumes available.
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Auras: An Essay on the Meaning of Colors Review

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Auras: An Essay on the Meaning of Colors ReviewI'm one of those former skeptics who came to believe that, while few of these "New Age" psychics are legitimate, Edgar Cayce was authentic. I concluded this after reading tons of books on Cayce, as well as his readings, which are transcriptions of things he said while in trance. If you're a seeker, it's important that you read what he actually said, rather than just reading what others say about him and how others interpret his philosophy. What convinced me that Cayce is legitimate were his own words. In the beginning, he himself was not convinced that his knowledge came from a higher source. In fact, he thought it may have been evil, or at the least just a personal fantasy his brain pumped out while he was in some sort of stupor. Only after he saw that his readings helped real people deal with real problems did Cayce become comfortable enough with his abilities to use them without significant reservations.
This little book on auras, or halos as some might call them, is one of the few publications from A.R.E. (Cayce's foundation) that Cayce actually wrote himself. Most of the other books, while interesting and valuable, were written by Cayce's followers, most of whom at this point in time never knew Cayce personally. There are a lot of interesting ideas in this booklet and I recommend it to those of you who are on a journey to find reliable sources of information on the nature of what Cayce called "the unseen world."
A.R.E. also publishes the unedited transcripts of all of Cayce's original readings -- on CD-ROM and in print -- and for serious seekers I recommend those as well.Auras: An Essay on the Meaning of Colors Overview

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Fast Innovation: Achieving Superior Differentiation, Speed to Market, and Increased Profitability Review

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Fast Innovation: Achieving Superior Differentiation, Speed to Market, and Increased Profitability Review
The last time I checked, Amazon and its online partner Borders offer more than 12,000 different books on the subject of innovation. Presumably this number will continue to increase as organizations become more actively involved with strategic planning in a global marketplace which relies so heavily on both technology and innovation.
What we have in this volume is a remarkably thoughtful, indeed rigorous and insightful discussion of how to achieve superior differentiation, speed to market, and consequent increased profitability. Those who have read any of George's previously published books (Lean Six Sigma, Conquering Complexity in Your Business, and Lean Six Sigma for Service) already know that he is an expert on both process simplification and process innovation. The former achieves incremental progress while the latter (with higher risk and higher reward) enables what George and other business thinkers refer to as "breakthroughs." Highly disruptive technologies, for example. The most effective organizations (e.g. GE, 3M, and Allied Signal) are committed to sustaining both process simplification and innovation.
The subject of speed has always intrigued me. The challenge, obviously, is to determine when to increase, decrease, or sustain it. Now more than ever before, organizations must be able to respond quickly to crises, opportunities, etc. However, as James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, and the Light Brigade demonstrated at Balaclava in 1854, when decisions are based on insufficient information and/or poor judgment, the results can be disastrous. Moreover, doing nothing or doing it too late can be just as dangerous as acting impulsively rather than rationally.
George, Works, and Watson-Hemphill carefully organizes their material within 15 chapters as they respond to a number of critically important questions which include:
1. What are the most significant benefits of fast innovation?
2. What is the process by which to design a fast innovation program?
3. What are the most effective strategies when implementing that program?
4. Which tools are most helpful during implementation?
5. What is an "innovation factory"?
6. How to establish an "idea-rich" workplace environment?
7. Within which process should fast innovation projects be deployed?
8. How best to measure project progress accurately?
9. What is the "FastGate Method" and how does it work?
10. How to create "innovation incubators"?
I especially appreciate the authors' probing analysis of several case studies (e.g. Eli Lilly, Home Depot, Intel, ITT Industries, and Procter & Gamble) to demonstrate their key concepts as well as to suggest how each reader can (with appropriate modification) apply those core concepts within her or his own organization. To me, some of the most valuable material is found in Chapter 4 when George, Works, and Watson-Hemphill examine "The Value of Thinking in Three Dimensions": product-service innovation, market definition innovation, and process/business model innovation. I agree with them that products and services such as Microsoft Windows and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol telephony are the cornerstones of most innovation programs, there are perhaps even greater opportunities in the other two dimensions, market definition innovation (which reflects the leverage possible from existing customer relationships) and process/business model innovation (which can create a competitive advantage that lasts longer than that from sustaining product or service innovations).
The key point is, that the most important breakthroughs in innovation are achieved by those initiatives which are multidimensional. George, Works, and Watson-Hemphill also note that "there are many companies that have maintained above-average growth without innovating a single new product or service but rather by exploiting the market definition, or process/business model dimensions of innovation."
As indicated previously, "fast" innovation does not mean hurried innovation. More often than not, as an ancient aphorism suggests, it is often prudent to "make haste slowly." Also, as the authors would be the first to point out, decision-makers in a given organization must decide to what extent (if any) activity in one or more of the three dimensions makes sense. Moreover, although George and his co-authors offer an abundance of information, observations, insights, and recommendations, it remains for each reader to determine which (if any) are appropriate to her or his organization's needs, interests, current and imminent circumstances, available resources, etc. This is not an "easy read." On the contrary, it requires but will generously reward a careful consideration of its contents. Credit George, Works, and Watson-Hemphill with a logical organization of their material, and, an eloquent presentation of it.
If you share my high regard for this book, I urge you to check out George's previously published Conquering Complexity in Your Business: How Wal-Mart, Toyota, and Other Top Companies Are Breaking Through the Ceiling on Profits and Growth and Lean Six Sigma for Service: How to use Lean Speed & Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions.
Also, Clayton Christensen and co-authors' Seeing What's Next, Geoffrey Moore's Dealing with Darwin, Tom Kelley's The Ten Faces of Innovation, Yoram (Jerry) Wind and co-authors' The Power of Impossible Thinking, and Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble's 10 Rules for Strategic Innovators. One other suggestion: one of the most influential books ever written on the subject of technological innovation, Eric Drexler's Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology. It was first published in 1987 and, in certain respects, is even more relevant and more valuable now than ever before.
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Brand Portfolio Strategy: Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage, and Clarity Review

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Brand Portfolio Strategy: Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage, and Clarity ReviewAaker has earned and deserves his renown as an expert on branding. Perhaps you have read one or more of his previous books: Managing Brand Equity (1991), Building Strong Brands (1995), Developing Business Strategies (1998), Brand Leadership (with Eric Joachimsthaler, 2000), and Strategic Market Management (2001). In my opinion Brand Portfolio Strategy is Aaaker's most important work thus far. One of the most popular recent buzz words is "portfolio" which, insofar as strategy is concerned, is best understood in terms of diversity which creates or allows for options and opportunities otherwise unavailable. According to Aaker, the brand portfolio strategy "provides the structure and discipline needed to have successful business strategy. A brand portfolio strategy which is confused and incoherent can handicap and sometimes doom a business strategy. One that fosters organizational and market strategies, creates relevant. differentiated and energized brand assets, and leverage es those brand assets, on the other hand, will. support and enable business strategy." The brand portfolio strategy which Aaker advocates, therefore, creates relevance, differentiation, energy, leverage, and clarity.
There is a diagram inside the front and back covers of this book which illustrates precisely what such a strategy involves, and, what the various relationships are between and among its various components. (As I read this book, I found it helpful to refer back to the diagram occasionally as I would to a map throughout a journey. The same diagram also appears on page 17.) I appreciate the fact that Aaker illustrates each of his core concepts by examining various corporations' successes and failures with a brand portfolio strategy, notably Intel, Disney, Microsoft, Citigroup, SONY, Dove, GE Appliances, Dell, and Unilever.
After having read the previous sentence, decision-makers in small-to-midsize companies may conclude that the brand portfolio strategy offers little (if any) value to them. That would be a mistake and I apologize if I inadvertently encourage anyone to reach that conclusion. Aaker's quotation of a remark by Frank Lloyd Wright seems (to me) relevant both to the brand portfolio and to almost every organization, regardless of size of nature: "Always design [or redesign] a thing by considering it in its next larger context -- a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, and environment in a city plan." That is as true for a family-owned automotive repair shop as it is for General Motors.
One of this book's several value-added benefits consists of dozens of quotations such as Wright's which provide Aaker's narrative with tasty seasoning while helping him to clarify his key points. Here are some other quotations which I especially appreciate:
"Beware of all enterprises which require new clothes." Henry David Thoreau
"Plans are nothing, planning is everything." Dwight Eisenhower
(Eisenhower's observation reminded me of a Hebrew aphorism: "Man plans and then God howls with laughter.")
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Alan Kay
"You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only one who does what you do." Jerry Garcia
Whatever their size and nature may be, all organizations really do need to position themselves so as to be perceived in the marketplace as having relevance, differentiation, energy, leverage, and clarity. In this brilliant book, Aaker explains HOW to accomplish that. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Harvard Business Review on Brand Management, Kaplan and Norton's The Strategy-Focused Organization, Godin's The Purple Cow, Finzel's Change Is Like a Slinky.Brand Portfolio Strategy: Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage, and Clarity Overview

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Product Strategy for High Technology Companies Review

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Product Strategy for High Technology Companies ReviewAfter founding a leading market research firm and teaching New Product Development at Harvard, I found this book so compelling that our firm has completed a review of our entire new web research product strategy, and come to some startling and highly productive insights on how to proceed and succeed. It is by far the most practical, in-depth guide to achieving competitive new product development strategies I have ever read.
The book shows clearly how to answer the critical questions: 1) Where do we want to go, 2) How will we get there, and 3) Why will we be successful. It shows how to create a Core Strategic Vision that is the foundation for new product success. And it shows how to use that vision to create highly competitive and profitable product lines, particularly in high technology.
Having tested new product ideas for hundreds of companies over the last 25 years, it is difficult to think of more than a handful who couldn't have benefited from not only reading this book, but doing what it recommends.Product Strategy for High Technology Companies Overview

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How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding Review

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How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding ReviewI'm no business-head. I find modern consumerism more disturbing than exciting. But I read this book as part of a study on public relations and I must say Holt's passion for the subject is contagious.
First of all, his writing style is superb. He alternates nicely between anecdotes, charts and philosophy, allowing all sorts of minds to grasp just what he's saying. His ideas were bold and insightful, and he helped me to understand what a craft marketing really is.
I sometimes felt his connections were just that - his connections - but a lot of his ideas rang true, and for the most part his evidence was well, evident.
What I found most impressive was his aknowledgement of all the sexism in marketing. Perhaps it's a bit of sexism on my part, but I hadn't expected a man to pick up on all the overt and covert misogyny inherent in the advertising world. Holt not only saw it, he understood how it connected with the greater social and political environment surrounding it.
How Brands Become Icons should be required reading for every high school student in the country. And that's the first time I've said that. Holt's grasp of the subject goes beyond branding, into the heart of American culture, into the minds of the American people. This is not just a how-to book. It's an important book of why.How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding Overview

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Kellogg on Branding: The Marketing Faculty of The Kellogg School of Management Review

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Kellogg on Branding: The Marketing Faculty of The Kellogg School of Management Review
The last time I checked, Amazon and its online partner Borders sell more than 8,000 different books on the general subject of brands and brand management. Presumably this number will continue to increase as organizations become more actively involved with marketing initiatives which effectively leverage one or more brands.
What we have here is one of the volumes which comprise a series produced by faculty members at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. It was edited by Alice M. Tybout and Tim Calkins who co-authored the Preface; Philip Kotler provides the Foreword and Calkins the Introduction.
I feel obligated to suggest at the outset that none of the volumes in this series is an "easy read." On the contrary, each requires but will generously reward a careful consideration of its contents which, in this volume, are carefully organized within four Sections:
I (Chapters 1-3) Key Branding Concepts
II (Chapters 4-6) Strategies for Building and Leveraging Brands
III (Chapters 7-13) From Strategy to Implementation
IV (Chapters 14-20) Branding Insights from Senior Managers
There are five themes which are rigorously examined through the narrative: brand positioning, brand design, brand meaning, leveraging a brand, creating a brand-driven organization, and then three chapters are devoted to issues on measurement. I especially appreciate the provision of various frameworks, check-lists (e.g. the five-step process for designing a brand on page 38), "Figures" (e.g Whirlpool's Touch Point Wheel" on page 230), and other tools to assist the reader with clarifying her or his thoughts about branding in terms the specific needs and interests of his or her organization.
Although taken out of context, the following three excerpts are representative of the high quality of thinking and writing throughout this book:
"The word brand has a tripartite etymology. One emphasis clusters around burning, with connotations both of fiery consummation and of banking the hearth. A second emphasis clusters around marking, with connotations of ownership and indelibility, as well as paradoxical allusions to intrinsic essence, whether or merit or stigma. A third emphasis clusters around the delivery of, or deliverance from, danger (stoke, anneal, cauterize; conflagration, possession, aggression). The brand embodies the transformative heat of passion, properly tended. It is bestowed and it is earned. The brand bespeaks the forging of a family." John F. Sherry, Jr. on "Brand Meaning," page 41.
"There are several sources of pioneering advantage. All are derived from the pioneer's unique role in creating the category, in defining the dimensions on which brands compete, and in influencing the importance buyers attach to perceived differences. Simply put, the pioneer plays a unique role... It is perceived different from others, and that perception is valuable in several ways....A pioneer can become the standard against which later entrants are judged simply by establishing the category and being viewed as the near-ideal product. This strong association with the product category means that virtually all other products in the category are now judged by the established standard. Standards in markets take at least two forms -- psychological standards and technological standards." Gregory S. Carpenter and Kent Nakamoto on "Competitive Strategies," pages 75 and 77.

"The differences between technology markets and CPG [consumer packaged goods] markets from a branding standpoint can be categorized into differences related to the market, differences related to products, differences related to customer behavior, and differences related to channels and ecosystems. I use this categorization scheme to discuss the challenges and principles of branding in technology markets. Figure 11.1 [pages 204 and 205] summarizes the key contextual dimensions that form the basis of contrasting brands in technology markets with branding in CPG markets." Mohanbir Sawhney on "Branding in Technology Markets," pages 202 and 203.
This book will be of greatest value to those senior-level executives who need to know their customers better and how to get closer to them, who need expert counsel on how to differentiate what they offer and then with formulating appropriate branding strategies which position their offering, not only as relevant to the given target market but indeed superior in value to whatever is offered by competitors.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Kellogg on Marketing edited by Dawn Iacobucci and Kellogg on Integrated Marketing co-edited by David Dranove and Sonia Marciano. I also recommend Harvard Business Review on Brand Management, Alina Wheeler's Designing Brand Identity, William J. McEwen's Married to the Brand, Marty Neumeir's The Brand Gap, Martin Lindstrom's Brand Sense, David A. Aaker's Building Strong Brands as well as Brand Portfolio Strategy, Bill Schley and Carl Nichols Jr.'s Why Johnny Can't Brand, Scott Bedbury and Stephen Fenichell's A New Brand World, Kevin Lane Keller's Strategic Brand Management (Second Edition), Alex Wipperfurth's Brand Hijack, and Douglas B. Holt's How Brands Become Icons.
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Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated Review

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Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated ReviewI'm not sure who the audience is for Lean Thinking. Call me naïve, but I assumed it was written by Womack and Jones to help organizations analyze their business processes and eliminate muda (Japanese for "waste"), thereby improving overall performance. However, after reading almost 250 pages of anecdotal success stories, the chapter entitled "Action Plan," where one would assume resides the punch-line of the text, I was met by the profound advice to "Get the knowledge" by hiring one of the numerous experts in North America, Europe or Japan, and read some of the "vast literature" available on lean techniques. Reminds me of the Steve Martin joke where he tells you how to be a millionaire. "First, get a million dollars."
After reading Lean Thinking, I'm struck by the irony that while the authors recommend removing waste from the manner by which your products are delivered to the end customer, they don't take their own advice. The text could have been distilled from 384 pages down to five or six, since there's no real substantive instruction on how to implement lean principles. Then again, maybe I completely misinterpreted the intent of the authors as to their audience and it really was written for the business historian who enjoys reading about how Pratt & Whitney started in 1855. That must be it, because after I ponder the title, I realize that Lean Thinking is for just that, thinking. What I really wanted was a book entitled Lean Doing.Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated Overview

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The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design Review

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The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design ReviewThis is an expanded edition of a book first published in 2003. In it, Neumeier develops in greater depth several basic ideas about how to bridge a gap between business strategy and design. My own experience suggests that on occasion, there may be a conflict or misalignment rather than a "gap." Or the business strategy is inappropriate. Or the design concepts are wrong-headed. Or the execution fails. Whatever, Neumeier correctly notes that "A lot of people talk about it. Yet very few people understand it. Even fewer know how to manage it. Still, everyone wants it. What is it? Branding. of course -- arguably the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet." What Neumeier offers is a "30,000-foot view of brand: what it is (and isn't), why it works (and doesn't), and most importantly, how to bridge the gap between logic and magic to build a sustainable competitive advantage." Of course, that assumes that both logic and magic are present and combined...or at least within close proximity of each other.
As others have already indicated, Neumeier provides a primer ("the least amount of information necessary") rather than a textbook. His coverage is not definitive, nor intended to be. He has a crisp writing style, complemented by "the shorthand of the conference room" (i.e. illustrations, diagrams, and summaries). Some describe his book an "easy read" but I do not. When reading short and snappy books such as this one, I have learned that certain insights resemble depth charges or time capsules: they have a delayed but eventually significant impact. For example, Neumeier explains why "Three Little Questions" can bring a high-level marketing meeting to a screeching halt:
1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Why does it matter?
I also want to express my admiration of the book's design features. They create an appropriate visual context within which Neumeier examines each of five "Disciplines": differentiation, collaboration, innovation, validation, and cultivation. Expect no head-snapping revelations. For many of those who read this book, its greatest value will will be derived from reiteration of certain core concepts which Neumeier reviews with uncommon clarity and concision. Check out the "Take-Home Lessons" (pages 149-157) which include
"A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It's not what you say it is. It's what THEY say it is."
"Differentiation has evolved from a focus on `what it is,' to `what it does,' to 'how you'll feel,' to `who you are.' While features, benefits, and price are still important to people, experiences and personal identity are even more important."
"How do you know when an idea is innovative? When it scares the hell out of you."
Readers having relatively less experience with the branding process will especially appreciate the provision of an expanded (220-word) "Brand Glossary." Neumeier also includes a "Recommended Reading" section in which he briefly comments on each source. When reading business books, I much prefer annotated bibliographies such as Neumeier's to mere lists. For whatever reasons, many provide neither.The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design Overview

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