800-CEO-READ Blog

Get Good People

Kevin Kelly at Cool Tools reviews Hiring Smart by Pierre Mornell, Regan Dunnick, and Kit Hinrichs (Ten Speed Press, 1998).

He pulls great excerpts out of the book. Here is my favorite:

You can't spend too much time or effort on "hiring smart." The alternative is to manage tough, which is much more time consuming.

This made me think of a post Rob at Businesspundit put up on Monday. It was called Managing Those Who Don't Want to Change.

[via Just Looking]

Expanding the Portfolio

I keep mentioning how Portfolio is the hot imprint. Here is another sign. Geoffery Moore (Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado) will be doing his next book with Adrian Zackheim and Portfolio. The name of the book will be DARWIN AND THE DEMON: Enabling Innovation and Overcoming Inertia in Established Enterprises. It won't be out until late 2005.

[via The Marketing Playbook]

Lots of Books

If you read the July issue of Fast Company, it will be hard for you not to notice the number of books mentioned.

• "In Listening to Starbucks" [p50-56], Alison Overholt goes to Geoffery Moore (Crossing the Chasm) and Adrian Slywotzky (How to Grow When Markets Don't) for quotes.
• "How Do I Love Thee" [p64-65] is a two-page advertisement for Lovemarks.
• Keith Hammonds spends some time with Douglas Smith and his Book On Values and Value (we posted the index) in "We, Incorporated" [p67-69]
• There is a feature article on Whole Foods Market called "The Anarchist's Cookbook" [p70-78]. CEO John Mackey changed the purchasing policies of his companies based on a number of books including Peter Singer's Animal Liberation. FC Bureau Chief Charles Fishman says "In the course of an hour's conversation, [Mackey will] quote from the management theories of Ryan Matthews and Watts Wacker's The Deviant's Advantage, the demographics book Millennials Rising, Somerset Maugham's novel The Razor's Edge, and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings."
• Rowe Furniture used Fast Track to Waste-Free Manufacturing: Straight Talk From a Plant Manager by John W. Davis to help redesign their production plant. The plight of the Rowe is detailed in "When Couches Fly" [p80-81].
• Ryan Underwood writes "The Fable" about business book fables. You will find The One-Minute Manager, Who Moved My Cheese?, Fish!, The Present, and The Art of Profitability all make an appearance.
• In the Back to School feature, FC features The Stanford University course "Leading Change and Organizational Renewal". If the $10,500 course fee is a little steep, you can get instructors Charles O'Reilly and Michael Tushman's book Winning Through Innovation: A Practical Guide to Leading Organizational Change and Renewal.
• July's Reader's Choice is The 5 Paths To Persuasion by Robert Williams and Gary Williams with Alden Hayashi (Warner Business, April 2004).
• The September Reader's choice nominees are
• Finding Fertile Ground by Scott Shane (Wharton, August 2004)
• Heads Up by Kenneth McGee (Harvard Business School Press, April 2004)
• Learning to Love Africa by Monique Maddy (HarperBusiness April 2004)
• Organized for Success by Stephanie Winston (Crown Business, August 2004)
• Why People Buy Things They Don't Need by Pamela Danzinger (Dearborn Trade, July 2004)

The Partnership Charter

I have run across a great book. It happened quite unexpectedly. Jack sent me another box of books to look at and asked me to look at one in particular (mainly because of peristant calls from some PR folks). I wasn't very impressed with the cover art and the title The Partnership Charter didn't blow me out of my seat.

I opened the book anyway and started to read the first chapter called "The Rewards and Risks of Going Into Business Together". These three points struck me as I read through:

1. "Researchers from the Center for Study of Entrepreneurship at Marquette University investigated a sample of nearly two thousand companies and categorized the top performers as 'hypergrowth' companies and those at the bottom as low growth companies. Solo entreprenuers founded only 6% of the 'hypergrowth' companies. Partner founded a whopping 94%, and many of those had three or more founders."
2. "In a poll taken a few years ago, Inc. asked businesspeople if they thought partnerships were a bad idea. Two-thirds of the respondents said they were. When asked why, the majority said they disliked co-ownership because of the partners' 'inevitable conflicts' and 'unmet expectations'."
3. "Business school could teach students how to minimize the risk of partner disputes, but they do not. They are schools of business administration. They teach students how to run large companies. Although they have started to do a better job of teaching students how to be entrepreneurial , they teach next to nothing about how to be a partner...Because most business schools' graduates who start their own businesses will have real partners some day, the school's neglect is hard to fathom. But business schools are not the only schools with this gap in their curriculum. Medical schools train physicians without regard to the fact that the vast majority of their graduates will have to struggle sooner or later with partners. The same is true of other professional schools."

I think all of three of those are very compelling points. Entrepreneurs have a better chance of being successful if they partner with others, but many don't even consider it because of the potential problems. On top of that, there is no place where people are trained to work together well as partners.

That is where The Partnership Charter comes in. Author David Gage talks about everything from roles and titles to ownership issues to the importance of understanding personal styles. The most important chapter in my mind is one on scenario planning. Gage lays out questions that would be easy for one entrepreneur to answer, but could be a nightmare for three or five people to agree on. What happens if one partner hires a key employee whom the other partner(s) dislike(s)? What happens if the company receives an unsolicited buyout offer from a competitor? What happens if the partners decide to close the business and the company has nothing but debt?

I recommend this book for all entrepreneurs. After reading the book, I think more people will consider partnerships and if they do, The Partnership Charter will give them a blueprint for creating a successful one.

DEMOLetter Summer Reading II

Chris Shipley continues the summer reading list in this week's DEMOLetter:

• Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton
• Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving With Grace by Gordon MacKenzie
• Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
• The Confusion by Neal Stephenson
• Unstuck by Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro
• The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor
• Free Prize Inside: The Next Big Marketing Idea by Seth Godin
• Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
• Re-Imagine! by Tom Peters

The 8th Habit

On November 9th, Stephen Covey is releasing a follow-up to his mega-bestseller 7 Habits to Highly Effective People. The book will be called "The 8th Habit". Here is a couple of paragraphs from the press release issued by Free Press this morning:

Covey's new book comes at a profoundly different time in history than when THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE was originally published. The challenges and complexity we face in our personal lives and relationships, in our families, in our professions, and in our organizations are of a different order of magnitude. We are struggling to feel engaged, fulfilled, and passionate across all areas of our lives. Tapping into the higher reaches of human genius and motivation-to find what Stephen R. Covey calls our voice - requires a new mindset, a new skill-set, a new tool-set...a new habit. THE 8th HABIT is the path to finding that voice and one's passion.

"I've not felt such passion, such conviction or excitement since my work on THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE," shares author Stephen R. Covey. "I believe the reason the response to the new ideas in THE 8th HABIT has been so strong is that people feel a void in their lives. This same emptiness is felt in organizations across the world, most of which struggle to achieve their top priorities. People don't feel their unique talents are tapped or appreciated. Bottom line- there is a profound yearning in both people and organizations to find their true "voice," to matter, to make a difference, to find greatness."

Jack Covert Selects--Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, Penguin, 832 pages, Hardcover, April 2004, ISBN 1594200092

It’s a stretch, I know. Picking a historical biography as a Jack Covert Selects. But I’m doing it anyway. Alexander Hamilton is already a bestseller. And of course Ron Chernow writes superbly, enlightening us with so much detail that it makes this book hard to put down from any perspective, whether it be historical, economical or political. I like it because Alexander Hamilton wasn’t just one of the founding fathers of America. He was the founding father with a difference. Controversial. Visionary. He was also a great businessman. A blueprint of a man all businesspeople should study. The book describes it much better than I can:

“When it came to the parallel economic upheavals of the period - the industrial revolution, the expansion of global trade, the growth of banks and stock exchanges – Hamilton was an American prophet without peer.”

Although faced with many adversities, he was an excellent businessman who made the right choices. And even when he didn’t, he took misfortune in his stride and recovered quickly. He might not have been president, but he was the founder and chief advocate for the market economy, and the first treasure secretary.

From a business book perspective, we can learn so much from him. He led a life of passion, which is clearly demonstrated in his economic endeavors. So many things that Alexander Hamilton did centuries ago still applies today. I want to share them with you as reminders and as homage to him:

• He understood the importance of technology. When most people were focused on agriculture, he saw the need for industrialization. This inevitably led to the American Revolution.
• Alexander Hamilton was willing to learn: The scientific revolution in Europe encouraged him to make the same changes in America. He actively recruited the specialists for several industries, like the cotton and textile industry, himself.
• Believe in yourself. His ideas got shot down all the time, but he just kept on trying different ways to see his plans come to fruition.
• Honor and fortitude. Hamilton didn’t use his influence to bail out a friend who was in financial ruins due to a stock market crash, but rather told him to “act with honor and fortitude.” Enough said.

Let’s all raise our glasses to Alexander Hamilton. What a guy! And what a book.

DEMOLetter Summer Reading

Chris Shipley's recent DEMOletter listed a set of titles that polled tech executives were reading.

• A Short History of Everything by Bill Bryson
• Managing by Harold Geneen
• Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
• Beyond the Core: Expand Your Market Without Abandoning Your Roots by Chris Zook
• Getting to Great: Principles of Health Care Organization Goverance by Dennis Pointer and James Orlikoff
• Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charam
• Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins

[via Dana and Wisconsin Technology Network]

My Secret Fantasy

No, it doesn't involve entering the Indy 500 or walking the Red Carpet bedecked in Jewels. Or even inventing a new technology that would have me the envy of the tech world. I have loved the concept of blogging since it began. But, alas and alack, I felt I had neither the techie skills nor the outlet for my Irreverent RoAne not -so- secret side.

Thanks to Jack Covert, who has been so dear, gracious and supportive, my fantasy is now a reality. The idea of sharing ideas and learning of others from a community of my choice and one that I respect, is so appealing. 800CEOREAD is a treasure in so many ways and the blog op is just one more jewel in the crown.

How did I learn about Jack and 800CEOREAD? As you would suspect, as a result of a conversation with an author friend who is open, helpful and a great networker... Robert Spector. When he tells me to 'check something out' I do! That's what friends are for!

More Reviews of Free Prize

The Miami Herald's Business Monday Book Club has posted their latest reviews. This month they read Seth Godin's Free Prize Inside. Writer Richard Pachter also wrote a more extensive review for the newspaper.

New Contributor

We have a new contributor to the 800-CEO-READ Blog.

Susan RoAne is a author and speaker. She is best known for How to Work a Room, which has sold over a million copies. I had a opportunity to meet Susan at BEA and liked her message. So, she'll be dropping by from time to time. Her first drop-by will be later today.

Update - here is a more official bio:

Susan RoAne is an in-demand keynote speaker and best-selling author of How To Work A Room, as well as The Secrets of Savvy Networking and What Do I Say Next? Her audio-book, RoAne’s Rules: How To Make the RIGHT Impression is also available at 800CEOREAD. Look for her new book in October 2004-- How To Create Your Own Luck: The "You Never Know" Approach by Wiley and Sons. She is the nation’s leading and original networking authority and can be located in San Francisco at 415-239-2224 and at

www.susanroane.com

The Good in Globalization

The Wall Street Journal Thursday (6/24/04) published a review of two books on the positive aspects to globalization [sub. needed]. The first book is In Defense of Globalization by Jagdish Bhagwati and the second book is Why Globalization Works by Martin Wolf. Here are some credentials on the authors from the review:

Jagdish Bhagwati, a (tentured) professor at Columbia University, is generally regarded as one of the world's leading international trade theorists. Martin Wolf is an associate editor of London's Financial Times, where he writes on trade and much else, informed by many years as a World Bank economist.

Collision Course

There are two books coming out in the next couple of months about the rise of airline JetBlue.

The first is called flyingHigh by James Wynbrandt. It is being published by John Wiley and starts shipping today. Fortune ran a book review [p38] in their June 28th issue and had good things to say about it. The book focuses on founder and CEO David Neeleman and his amazing story.

In November, Portfolio will be releasing Blue Streak by Barbara Peterson. This book is about the airline and what has made it successful. The Portfolio catalog is quick to point out that Peterson is "the only book author to gain full access to all the major players in the story, including the CEO and his inner circle."

The business book market is pretty small as is it. It will be interesting to see how both of these books do in the marketplace.

If you want something to get you in the mood, Fast Company ran a cover story on JetBlue in their May 2004 issue. There were two web exclusive stories you may have missed - a Q&A with Neeleman and a great piece on the ticket agents that work for JetBlue (many from their homes).

Further Love Reading

Here is the list of books at the end of Lovemarks that Kevin Roberts recommends as "Further Reading":

• Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
• Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of Love, New York: Vintage Books, 1995.
• John Armstrong, Conditions of Love: The Philosophy of Intimacy, London: Penguin, 2002.
• Donald Caine, Within Reason: Rationality and Human Behavior, New York: Vintage Books, 2000.
• Antonio R. Damasio, Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain, New York: Avon Books, 1994.
• Antonio R. Damasio, Looking for Spinoza: Joy. Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain, Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2003.
• Giep Franzen and Margot Bouwman, The Mental World of Brands: Mind, Memory and Brand Success, Oxfordshire: World Advertising Research Center, 2001.
• Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, New York: Litde, Brown and Company, 2001.
• Thomas Hine, I Want That!: How we All Became Shoppers, New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
• Lynn Jamieson, Intimacy: Personal Relationships with Modern Societies, Oxford: Polity Press, 1998.
• Regis McKenna, Total Access: Giving Customers What They want in an Anytime, Anywhere World, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
• Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson, The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.
• Geoff Mulgan, Connexity: How to Live in a Connected World, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1998.
• David G. Myers, Intuition: Its Powers and Perils, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.
• Hamish Pringle and Marjorie Thompson, Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands, Sydney: John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
• Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
• Annette Simmons, The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling, Boston: Perseus Publishing, 2001
• Gerald Zaltman, How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market, Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2003.
• Theodore Zeldin, An Intimate History of Humanity, New York: Vintage Books, 1998.
• Shoshana Zuboff and James Maxmin, The Support Economy: Why Corporations Are Failing Individuals and the Next Episode of Capitalism, New York: Viking, 2002

Csikszentmihalyi

On my long list of books to read is "something" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In Re-imagine, Tom Peters recommends Becoming Adult. In May, The Monday Morning Book Club at the Miami Herald reviewed his book Good Leadership. You might also recognize the title Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.

Johnnie Moore is reading Good Leadership now and really likes it.

I am going to have to move Mihaly up on my list.

E-Books Sold

The Open eBook Forum publishes a list of the bestselling ebooks each month. The data is complied from a group of retailers specializing in the trade.

The only business book on the May list was MBA in A Box by Joel Kurtzman.

Book Review: Lovemarks

I don't know what I can add to the other reviews posted this week. I liked Lovemarks. There are things you can get out of it.

Kevin Roberts talks about at length the importance of respect and considers it a founding principle of Lovemarks. The thought starts like this: No Respect, No Love. Then consider all the things you need to do to show respect to your customers - do what you said you where going to do, help them, tell the truth, accept responsibility, and never fail the reliability test. Most companies won't get past the respect test. Roberts quotes Frank Byrne who said. "Respect is love in plain clothes."

Lovemarks is really a continuation of the discussion about the importance of an emotional message. The three success factors Roberts lays for Lovemarks are mystery, sensuality, and intimacy. Under mystery, it is about telling stories and tapping into people's dreams. It is also about icons and aspirations.

Under sensuality, it is about creating experiences that appeal the senses. Roberts says the magic going to come from people who think with "and" in mind (i.e. taste and texture, sight and sound, small and taste). Just think about Crayolas just for a minute. How many senses do they appeal to?

Under intimacy, there are two great quotes from the book. Roberts first talks about how much people talk on their cellphones. He says it is about empathy and intimacy:
"Initimate talking has become a 24/7 activity. Forget grammar and argument. We're talking haphazard, incomplete, and emotional. This is not about communicating information as we have known it. This is a constant sensing of where you are, where I am, and how we are both feeling."

Two pages later, he talks about commitment:

Steve Jobs made his triumphal return to Apple in 1994. Back on track, the company went to the leading edge and stayed there. And all those committed consumers felt vindicated. More loyal than ever. What sustained the Mac lovers over the tough beige period?

I call it "Love in the bank."

With Loyalty Beyond Reason, Apple could make mistakes and still be forgiven...Only Love will get customers through the bad times when common sense tells them they should change.

It is those kind of love analogies that I like from the book.

You will find a lot of Saatchi and Saatchi self-congratulating along with many kudos to Roberts' former employer P&G. If you can look past that and think about the amazing Lovemarks of IKEA, Barbie, Birkenstocks, and Breyers, there is something for you in this book.

Food--Not for Thought but to Eat

One of the reasons I kill myself walking the floor at the book convention each year is to find the book that I would never have found by usual ways. The University of California Press pitched me on two titles that they have published by Marion Nestle on food. Yeah, I know what does food have to do with a business book blog? I can’t answer that except that it is my bat and my ball and I thought these books were interesting.

The books are called Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health—a James Beard Foundation Award Winner 2003 and Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, Bioterrorism.

A quote I could really relate to is:

"The food industry has given us a food supply so plentiful, so varied, so inexpensive, and so devoid of dependence on geography or season that all but the poorest of Americans can obtain enough energy and nutrients to meet biological needs. Indeed, the U.S. food supply is so abundant that it contains enough to feed everyone in the country nearly twice over—even after exports are considered.”

Interesting thought.

Blackman: Thanks

Thanks again to Jack, Todd and most important, YOU! This is the first time I hosted an "event" without a band and catering bill! Hope you've had as much fun reading my stuff, as I had writing it!

If I can be of any help in the future, just holler. I'd be disappointed if you didn't. You can reach me at jeff at jeffblackman dot com.

Also, be sure to take advantage of the special 32% savings for Stop! Whining! Start Selling! at www.800ceoread.com/blackman. And, to get my free e-zine, The Results Report, simply sign-up at www.jeffblackman.com. Would love to have you in our virtual family.

Here's to your success!

BOOK REVIEW: Lovemarks

Lovemarks by Kevin Roberts

This book is fun to read. Remember when you were a kid and took out a library book that had lots of pictures? It’s like that. Lovemarks uses colors, energy and stories to bring the reader right into the story. This pulling us into the story models the main message of the book, customer intimacy. (Remember Marshall McLuhann, “The Medium is the Message?” Well, some of us do – the same ones who remember getting books at the library.)

Don’t let the cool pictures, changing colors, changing fonts, and illuminating stories fool you, the real power of this book is a clean direct message about how to bring marketing and brands into the age of the individual mass consumer. The world that Tim Sanders describes in Love is a Killer App, a world based on abundance, collaboration and win-win requires a different relationship between customer and company than the days of scarcity and competition. Lovemarks talks about connecting, company to customer, in that kind of world.

Lovemarks brings conscious competence to customer / company connecting that is beyond branding. It stresses the importance of listening, no, not waiting to talk, listening to your customers. There is a Benjamin Disraeli quote, “I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?” That’s what Lovemarks is talking about. Where are the people who love us, who “follow” us going? That is where we should be leading.

As I read the book I was a little confused about the audience for this book. As an independent consultant, my relationship with my customers is my Lovemark. I don’t need anything fancy. I guess the message of the book could be heard by anyone who runs a company and has direct control over the marketing and customer relationship style of that company, any one who has some power and clout in the area of marketing, anyone who wishes to choose their own style of direct customer contact, or anyone who wants to read something that is both business and fun.

The one problem I had with the book is a problem I’ve had with a number of books in the last several years. Kevin Roberts talks as if this type of customer relationship / marketing never existed before he brilliantly discovered/invented it. Kevin Roberts does do a good job of outlining the steps and relating it to today’s world, however, claiming discovery/invention is a bit high-flying.

The Great Communicator

The recent media coverage of Ronald Reagan's death, memorial services and ongoing public tributes were fascinating. Especially, the stories that highlighted Reagan's extraordinary communication skills. Even his detractors acknowledged that Reagan was accurately labeled, the "Great Communicator."

At times, Reagan's message and its delivery might have been simplistic, but it wasn't misunderstood. He sought clarity. He avoided confusion.

And that got me wondering...

Have you ever asked a decision-maker:

Do you understand?

How'd they respond?

You bet! Absolutely! No problem. You betcha! Yep, that's easy!

Guess what? They may have had no idea what the heck you said!

Customers, clients and prospects have egos too. And, they like to protect them. The last thing they want to do, is to look stupid. Especially in front of you.

Therefore, to protect their self-esteem and save face, they'll often boldly proclaim their understanding, even if you have inadvertently guided them into the land of confusion! (And confusion and misunderstanding are major obstacles to making a sale and business success.)

So here's a far better question to ask:

Have I explained this well?

This question is a powerhouse. It cleverly shifts the burden from your customer, client or prospect...to you. And that's where it belongs...on your shoulders, not theirs.

Now even if you ask,

Have I explained this well?

and the response is No! that's not a problem. Because you can politely say something like,

Oops, my fault! Let me explain better this time, how it'll help you.

This strategy is a winner! Have I explained it well?

*****

In Jeff's new bestseller, Stop Whining! Start Selling!,
he delivers more success tips, especially in Profit
Pillar IV - A Profit Parade and Profit Pillar V - Communicate
and Conquer.

The Ritz Rules!

Who consistently delivers great service?

That's an easy one. The Ritz Carlton. I've never had a bad experience at a Ritz. And if something unexpectedly goes awry, they fix it. Fast!

Three months ago, I stayed at The Ritz in Orlando. The Ritz does little things right. Like at check-in, they offer you a glass of fresh lemonade. (I've noticed that other hotels are implementing a similar service strategy, by offering at check-in, glasses of i.e., champagne, juice or bottled water.)

And when I asked where the elevator was, Dena at the front desk didn't merely point toward the elevator, she personally escorted me there.

Later, at 6:00 p.m., I called room service. The phone was cheerfully answered by Gloria. She took my order and then said, "Mr. Blackman, please let me recap, to make sure I've got it right." (Confirmation now, often eliminates problems later.) I then asked, "Gloria, would it be possible to have dinner arrive at 7:00 p.m., since I'm leaving now to run in the fitness center?" She replied, "Absolutely! We'll see you at 7. Enjoy your run!"

At exactly 7:00 p.m. I returned. I was there, but dinner wasn't. At 7:11 I called Gloria and said, "I'm lonely!" She immediately apologized and said a rush would be placed on my order. At 7:22 there was a knock at the door. It was Rupert from room service. He said, "Mr. Blackman, Gloria and I once again apologize that your dinner has arrived late. Tonight, your meal is compliments of the Ritz."

Whoa! Cool! (Especially since the bill would have been over $350! Chicken nuggets ain't a bargain at the Ritz! Just kidding!)

I thanked Rupert for his gracious hospitality with a generous tip. I also gave him a tip for Gloria. He was surprised, but grateful.

Then, I called Gloria to express my thanks. I said, "Gloria, that was very thoughtful of you to comp my dinner." To which she said something remarkable. It was only a one-word response, but it was unforgettable. She replied,
"Ownership." (Meaning, even if it wasn't her fault, she still owned the problem. And, the solution. She didn't assign blame. She delivered satisfaction.)

I asked, "Gloria, is that your word or are you trained to say that?" Her response, "Mr. Blackman, it's simply part of our Ritz ethics and commitment to our customers." Yikes! I wanted to know where I could buy her books!

Lessons to learn and things to consider:

• What little things are you doing that'll yield BIG results?
• How can you improve your customer's experience?
• How many moments of magic or touch-points do you have with a customer? What subtleties will elevate their value?
• How do you get others to talk about you and your business with phrases that begin with:


• You're not gonna believe...
• Wait to you hear what happened to me...
• Have I told you about the time...

*****

Jeff shares more powerful service stories, lessons and
tips in Profit Pillar VIII - Serve & Soar! in his new
bestseller, Stop Whining! Start Selling!

Passionate / Schaminate!

Grant Thornton is an accounting firm. A big one. And they're very successful.

Maybe recently, you've seen or heard their ads. They're everywhere. In newspapers, magazines and on TV. Now I hope their advertising yields monstrous results. I like to see folks succeed. However, I'll confess, it baffles me. Especially the theme, tagline and headline which is:

A passion for the business of accounting.

Huh? Who cares? So what?

Shouldn't it be a given that they're passionate about accounting? Heck, that's what they do.

Wouldn't you want your surgeon to really dig medicine? Or an airplane pilot to be enamored with flying?

A print ad for Grant Thornton includes the following copy:

Our passion for what we do for our clients has made us one of the largest accounting firms in the world, with 585 offices in 110 countries.

Boring!

Seems like it would be far more impactful if they waxed rhapsodic about how they're passionate about their clients' businesses and not just theirs.

And then, they could give examples, share case studies or tell stories about how they helped clients achieve extraordinary outcomes, boffo results and improved conditions. It's these advantages and benefits that drive buying decisions.

Boasting about your passion versus your decision makers' results is not exactly the kinda stuff that stirs emotion or inspires action. The focus in Grant Thornton's advertising is Grant Thornton. That's the wrong party.

Their decision maker, (prospect or client) is ignored. Instead, it's "Hey, look at us. We're really cool. We got lots of offices in lots of places." These are giant yawners.

By contrast, I heard a RadioShack radio ad this morning exclaim, "With over 500 stores, one is within five minutes of where you live." (This conveys convenience, time-savings, and accessibility.)

What's interesting though with Grant Thornton, is that their website is customer friendly and customer focused, i.e., providing links for timely tax tips and knowledge nuggets. Smart. (They oughta adapt the same principles to their
advertising.)

Remember, when you attempt to persuade, imagine your decision maker is sitting across from you, with their arms folded and bellowing, "Big deal! What's in it for me?"

Does your story matter? Sure. Is it worth telling?
Probably. But the story that always must be heard, is your decision-maker's!

*****

To learn more proven and profit-producing strategies that
get decision-makers to say "yes"...take a peek at Profit
Pillar III - Winning Words & Wallet Wisdom in Jeff's new
bestseller, Stop Whining! Start Selling! (Available at a
special 32% savings at www.800ceoread.com/blackman)

And, be sure to take advantage of the special opportunity
(with over $500 worth of free stuff), described earlier in
"Blackman: A Book and A Bonus!"

And, to subscribe to Jeff's free e-zine, The Results Report,
please go to www.jeffblackman.com.

Explosive Sales Results!

Stop Whining! Start Selling! delivers real-world solutions to drive monstrous results, like a 25-50% increase or more in revenue and
earnings. As a business-leader, salesperson, CEO, manager, executive or entrepreneur, get ready to grow your business, enhance your profits, boost your earnings and improve your life. Quickly. Ethically. Dramatically!

It's loaded with powerful insights and how-to success strategies on; ethics, sales, marketing, negotiations, service, prospecting, referrals, creativity, time management, goal achievement and more.

And these principles have been tested before tough and cynical audiences—my clients! They've learned how to stop whining, start selling, and keep winning! Because they're generating consistent, profitable and explosive results.

Order your book(s) at www.800ceoread.com/blackman.
And, be sure to take advantage of the special opportunity
described earlier in "Blackman: A Book and A Bonus!"

Blackman: A Book and a Bonus!

Would you believe, that the most requested or searched names on the web, are Anna Kournikova and Jack Covert?! Okay, so maybe this is "blog blarney", but Jack sure is one heckuva nice guy! His 800CEORead fan club is vast and growing. Me included!

When Jack suggested that I visit with his "blog guru" Todd, I immediately took action. Those initial phone conversations have now given you and I the opportunity to yak online. Together, we can explore the possibilities and pave the way for your future successes. Thanks Jack, for helping it happen!

As a courtesy to Jack, we've created a special opportunity for 800CEOREAD blog readers. Get over $500 worth of free stuff—when you buy my new book, Stop Whining! Start Selling! at www.800ceoread.com/blackman at a 32% savings on or before July 1st. And then, forward your 800CEOREAD receipt to jeff at jeffblackman dot com.

We'll then send you a list of some of the best and brightest business-minds in the world. They’ll give you special online access to proven strategies on; sales, service, leadership, success and achievement. Valuable reports, e-books, articles and more. Over $500 worth of stuff, for FREE.

First, go to: www.800ceoread.com/blackman and order your book(s) on or before July 1st. (Please feel free to tell your friends, peers and customers about this great opportunity.)

And throughout the day, enjoy my special blog entries.

Here's to your winning ways!

Welcome Jeff Blackman

Our guest host today is Jeff Blackman. He is an author, a speaker, and a success coach. Jeff will be talking about his new book Stop Whining! Start Selling! He plans to share stories and ideas throughout the day.

P.S. He has also written RESULT$, Carpe A.M. - Carpe P.M. – Seize Your Destiny!, Peak Your Profits, and Opportunity Selling.

Ben Franklin Awards

Named in honor of America's most cherished publisher/printer, the Benjamin Franklin Award recognizes excellence in independent publishing. This year's winner in the business category was Magnetic Service: Secrets of Creating Passionately Devoted Customers by Chip and Bilijack Bell, published by Berrett-Koehler.

There were two other finalists The first was Sun-Tzu's Art of War Plus The Art of Marketing by Sun-Tzu and Gary Gagliardi, published by Clearbridge Publishing. The second was Writing the Breakthrough Business Book: The Ultimate Guide for Consultants, Entrepreneurs, Executives, Experts, and Writers by Tom Gorman, published by Content Publishing.

Lovemarks is a Love Affair, Part 2

[Part 1 was posted yesterday. Refresher: I start shifting from being disheartened when I flip through the Lovemarks to "Ah ha...he gets it" once I settle in to read it.]

Marketing people talk about emotion. They present charts and diagrams, even raise their voices and wave their arms, but fundamentally they treat emotion as...out-there, felt by someone else and able to be manipulated. Analyzing other people's emotions and refusing to acknowledge our own dumps us in the same old rut. What a waste.

Listening is something that most brands are not great at. They evolved alongside the mass media, and that is where most of them stayed. Talking, talking, talking.

The most curious people in business ought to be marketers. Eager to learn, fascinated by the strange passions of human beings, always asking questions, always in pursuit of the strange, the unusual, or the simply interesting. Most marketers, and to my regret many researchers, are not like this at all.

The desire to control is tough to relinquish, but that is what we must do if we want to start on the journey towards Lovemarks.

And what if I can't hand this book to a by-the-numbers CEO? So what if we don't get any converts! This "Church of the Customer" sermon did me good. I came out of the two days refreshed, recharged and inspired. And it doesn't hurt to know I'm in good company even if it is the lunatic fridge. Maybe there's something to this customer-centric emotional mumbo-jumbo when it's the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi and executives at Toyoto and P&G lending their credibility to it.

And then it sunk in that yes, this book is clearly a branding (er, Lovemarking) exercise for Saatchi and Saatchi. Duh! They're eating their own dog food! They're practicing what they preach. It evokes mystery, sensuality and intimacy - all elements of a Lovemark. The website elicits customer participation. Since it was launched well before publication readers around the globe related their own stories about the Lovemarks that resonate with them and quite a few are featured in the book.

My biggest objection? Tainted Love. Obviously it's already been misconstrued when Fast Company reads like a Cosmopolitan cover: "Make Your Customers Love Your Brand." Yikes! (Or did the author just flip through the book?) Now if you really think you can make anyone love you, you haven't a clue about Love. The FC article doesn't convey the depth of the book as evidenced when they cite examples such as: McDonald's ads blare: "I'm lovin' it!" Anyone who's ever been in a romantic relationship knows actions speak louder than mouthing the words, I love you. Customers have had enough of idle words and promises, Roberts says.

Everyone with a telephone has had a total stranger (aka telemarketer) asking how they are and did they have a nice day. As if they cared...human beings can spot that sort of falseness fast. Real fast.

The book speaks to many layers of meaning for the word love. It's obvious that Roberts' experience is of love with the capital L. And the book works best if you can relate to that. It's not limited to only a precious few but is extended to "total strangers" alike. He's not calling for you to make customers love your brand, he's calling you to love your customers. No strings attached. It's what Tim Sanders of Yahoo (quoted in book) says:

I don't think there is anything higher than Love...Love is so expansive...the way I define Love is the selfless promotion the growth of the other.

Can you twist that around? Sure, but it won't be a Lovemark.

If you're looking for a prescriptive book - you won't find it here. That's the whole point. Roberts makes it clear that marketers have become too analytical, too rote and too formulaic. There is no formula. "The cloak of Mystery forces us to find our own meanings, our own sense of what is important in our lives." That is true for our brands. No book is going to hand you the meaning of your company, your product, your raison d'etre, or your unique relationship to your customers.

I lose patience with the wanna-be science of brands. The definitions, the charts, the tables, and diagrams. There are too many people following the same rule book. When everybody tries to beat differentiation in the same way, nobody gets anywhere.

As the brand manual grows heavier and more detailed, you know you're in trouble. Making sure the flowers in reception conform to the brand guidelines just shows you are looking in the wrong direction. Consumers are who you should be paying attention to.

You may not find all the solutions buried in a specific case study (and it's chock full of global examples), but you'll feel surrounded by the possibility that you will.

The jury is still out on if this the be-all-and-end-all of what's next for brands. But I do think Lovemarks contain all the qualities necessary for a brand to work. I'm afraid the catch is you'll have to stretch your conception of Love first.

I write this book review on Father's Day. I was thinking about my dad and what keeps the twinkle in people's eyes. Roberts is urging us as businesspeople to rekindle life-affirming relationships with our customers. (He asks, Have you been invited to a customer's birthday party?) The sale is the destination but the relationship is the journey. Drop agendas and get into their world. That's what people all over the world universally yearn for - and it's what makes them Loyal Beyond Reason (the hallmark of a Lovemark).

Conventional wisdom says that brands are taking over people's lives. And that this is a bad thing. But maybe it works the other way. Maybe life is taking over brands.

Dearborn Trade: What are you reading?

Q: What are you reading now?

Zigmund: I'm about to start reading Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. Like everyone else, I recently finished The DaVinci Code for fun.

Dearborn Trade - Wishing

Q: Is there one non-Dearborn Trade book you wish you had?

Zigmund: Who wouldn't have wanted to be the publisher of a bestseller like Built
to Last or Good to Great? Dearborn is focused on leading by being first to market, and finding that next big business bestseller.

Dearborn Trade - Cover Design

Q: What you do think makes a good book cover?

Zigmund: A clean and intriguing cover; a cover's main goal is to make a statement and get a potential customer to pick it up. Strong type, bold or striking colors with an interesting image do that. A cover should be creative without being overwhelming. One of our favorite covers is "Creating Customer Evangelists"--a combination of a striking image and interesting type.

Dearborn Trade - The Difference

Q: What is one thing that sets Dearborn Trade apart from other business book imprints?

Zigmund: Dearborn Trade's books present ideas that are actionable; we inspire our readers to take action. We've read so many business books that leave you with, "now what do I do?" Dearborn books give readers not only the inspiration but also the tools to take action.

Lovemarks is a Love Affair

The second to last place I'd ever what to work is an advertising agency. But Kevin Roberts, author of Lovemarks, is no typical ad agency CEO.

"I've been in some boardrooms where there was a definite, audible gulp when I put the words 'love' and 'business' together", says Kevin Roberts (via Fast Company article, "How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Plot the Graph").

If you can ignore the look of the fire-engine red book full of glossy thick pages bursting with color and clean design from...where else?...Italy (I can't imagine coming up with a dog-ear score) and focus on the content while you flip through the book (my initial perusal method) I'd say my review would look startling similar to a David Hornik review:

blah blah commodity blah blah change blah blah attention is currency blab blah respect blah integrity blah blah mystery blah blah story blah myth blah blah sensuality blah blah intimacy blah blahtrust blah blah blah listening to customer blah blah blah inspiration blah blah loyalty beyond reason blah blah passion blah blah blah tap into dreams blah blah embrace emotion blah blah emotional connection blah blah blah Nothing is Impossible

Well isn't everyone already saying advertising is dead, brands are dead, emotion is where it's at, blah blah blah already?

The second initial reaction I had to the book was depression. Yet another book that preaches to the choir (that is, at the Church of the Customer). No one that really needs to read this will touch it with a ten-foot pole, I mused. If the Economist labels 'soft' a work by an author that studied "great military theorists, like Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, and Jomini" and countless other "conventional battles and guerrilla warfare" then what hope is there for a bright red art book with (gulp) Love scrawled across it?

The third reaction I had was uh, this is a Saatchi and Saatchi high-gloss marketing brochure.

The fourth reaction was the most depressing of all. Is there anything marketers will not stoop to? Now they are appropriating Love itself - the most selfless (when it's authentic) force in the universe to manipulate customers. Even if Roberts means well (and I've read countless speech transcripts, interviews, website material) other people will twist the message around to line their pocketbooks.

So although I was waiting for months for this book to come out, I was initially disheartened. But (ok, I committed to do this review) I eventually devoted a quiet two-day weekend to it (ha, I thought I could whip it out in one sitting) and there is something subtle and quite different about this book. If read slowly that is. (I think the design and format tempts you into flipping rather than immersing).

Ah ha...he gets it.

Part 2 continues tomorrow...

Dearborn Trade - The Books

Q: How many titles did you publish last year, publish this year and plan to publish next year?

Zigmund: In 2003 we published 40 titles. This year we expect to publish 50, followed by 60 in 2005.

Q: List five or six books that represent the type of books you publish:

• The Power of Six Sigma by Subir Chowdhury
• The Radical Leap by Steve Farber
• Anatomy of a Business Plan by Linda Pinson
• Creating Customer Evangelists by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba
• Marketing to Women by Martha Barletta
• What's Your Corporate I.Q. by Jim Underwood

Dearborn Trade - Personality

Q: Tell me about Dearborn Trade. How would you describe the "personality" of the imprint?

Zigmund: Split! At Dearborn we publish a combination of basic, tried and true titles as well as forward-looking, first-to-market books. This is a deliberate strategy: our customers have varying needs. Some are just starting out and want the basics that are covered in Anatomy of a Business Plan or You Need to be a Little Crazy, while others are trying to break out of the ordinary and look to books like Creating Customer Evangelists or The Radical Leap.

Imprint Q&A I - Dearborn Trade

Our first business imprint in the 800-CEO-READ Imprint Education Program is Dearborn Trade Publishing. Last week, I did a Q&A with Cynthia Zigmund, Vice President & Publisher at Dearborn Trade. I am going to post the questions and her answers throughout the day.

A Marketer’s Remarks on Lovemarks

Book: Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands
Author: Kevin Roberts
Reviewer: johnmoore (from the Brand Autopsy blog)

What comes after brands? Lovemarks do. So says Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi Saatchi Worldwide and author of the recently published book, Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands.

According to Roberts, Lovemarks are brands that have evolved from simply being bigger, brighter, stronger, and cheaper to being a brand that uses mystery, sensuality, and intimacy to emotionally connect with consumers. Apple is a Lovemark while Gateway is a brand. Lexus is a Lovemark but Pontiac is a brand. Container Store? A Lovemark. Storables? A brand.

In other words, brands merely fulfill needs while Lovemarks fulfill needs and desires.

Simple enough, right?

So why does it take over two-hundred overly-designed, high-gloss pages to tell this story?

Lovemarks reads like an advertising agency capabilities PowerPoint pitch deck on steroids. Many of the case study brands mentioned as lighthouse Lovemarks come from the Saatchi & Saatchi client roster. This Lovemark approach to building brands plays like Saatchi & Saatchi’s pseudo-proprietary system for extracting and articulating the essence of a brand’s DNA.

But wait … if you strip away the thick advertising agency varnish, you uncover a killer branding concept: Brands that connect emotionally with customers and forge loyalty beyond reason transcend from being just a brand.

Do these brands become Lovemarks as Roberts contends? That’s up for debate.

What is not up for debate is that there is a place where few brands earn the right to evolve to. This is a revered place where love trumps respect in terms of how a consumer relates to a brand and a brand relates to a consumer. Roberts expertly articulates this sweet spot through his simplistically brilliant Love/Respect two-by-two axis.

Unfortunately, Lovemarks is more a “what and why” book and less a “how-to” book.

Roberts eloquently explains “what” the Lovemarks concept is and “why” it is important. But he neglects telling “how-to” create a Lovemark. The only guidance Roberts offers companies on how to transform their brand into a Lovemark is to get closer to their evangelical customers. Because of this, Lovemarks is a book marketers will fall in like with, but not in love with.

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reviewer quick bio: johnmoore has made his mark in the marketing world