Create Distinction: What to Do When Great Isn't Good Enough to Grow Your Business

by Scott McKain

Have you taken your business from good to great, only to find that ''great'' still isn t cutting it? Are you making all the right moves in your career and still not receiving the recognition you have earned? Why do companies like Apple get all the attention, when you have difficulty getting anyone to focus on your efforts? In our homogenized world, companies in every sector--from big-box retail to financial services; from fast food to entrepreneurs--appear more and more alike, as do the tweets and LinkedIn pages of professionals across the country. But if people see you or your company as nothing more than a carbon copy of the competition, how can you expect to attract attention? Scott McKain's original approach to this problem, first captured in his book Collapse of Distinction , was conceived and written in the direct aftermath of the 2008 financial meltdown. His forceful case for the importance of distinction--finding success by setting yourself apart from the crowd--resonated with thousands of readers. To reflect the changing reality since that book's publication--and to incorporate new research and up-to-date examples--McKain, an internationally recognized expert on business distinction, has retitled and revised it as Create Distinction . Within these updated pages (including one entirely new chapter) you'll find a potent cure for similarity and uniformity--the primary killers of businesses and careers. In engaging, story-filled prose, McKain lays out the cornerstones of distinction and equips you with the specific tools and knowledge you need to stand out. Whether you're in the ''C-suite'' of a multinational company or just vying for your next promotion, you'll learn how to rise above the fray and make your work unmistakable. With this practical advice, you'll feel confident stepping up from the competition--and toward success.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

264 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2013

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first part excellent: it talks about the need to find the niche. In a world of globalised competition, being good is increasingly not enough. Instead, being different and saying no to some kinds of clients is important. However i was not as interested in the second part of the book in the examples... Maybe because they are so diverse and across so many fields, I lost the focus.

[Byron Edgington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we have a business book that we may reasonably expect to use in other than business applications, such as writing, philanthropy, crowd-sourcing, branding and other community outreach ways. In other words, just as the title suggests, in order to rise above the chaotic cacophony of today’s flood of media blare, anyone wishing to be seen and/or heard must create distinction.
Not as easy as it sounds, of course. One of Mr. McKain’s real insights in this easy to read and digest book is the other side of the distinction necessity: in order to be seen and/or heard, we must decide what we are not. Starbucks isn’t a music venue after all, but a coffee shop. Indeed, McKain does a kind of reverse engineering process throughout the book, describing for example in chapter one ‘How we got into this mess,’ meaning what happened in the marketplace that ‘great isn’t good enough’ any more? The author lays out reasons that one of the most innovative approaches to business success in the last few years, the good to great concept, no longer has legs. It’s all about creating a difference between our business and the competitor’s, and that creative process isn’t always intuitive. In amusing and relevant examples, McKain describes what he means by distinct: a customer’s favorite water? That’s right; though water is easy to find and consume, widely available— and free— people still search for their Dasani, or Pellegrino, or Evian. McKain tells why this is. Hail a taxi in Jacksonville and you’re likely to be greeted by Taxi Terry, a fellow who has created a distinct taxi experience.
In chapters five through eight McKain expands on the four ‘C’s of creating distinction: Clarity; Creativity; Communication; and Customer experience focus. McKain’s family growing up owned and operated a small grocery in Southern Indiana. When a large chain grocery opened nearby McKain’s father thought the tiny store he’d run for many years was doomed. It wasn’t. Without giving away the satisfying conclusion to the tale, suffice to say that McKain the elder’s navigation through the thicket of competitive necessity to keep his business gave the younger McKain many of his core promotional principles. Those principles made their way into this book, and they make sense in today’s hyper-competitive environment.
Just because the examples were so compelling, I would have liked to read more of them. The book is narrowly focused on hard-core business rather than small entrepreneurial ventures, and while the little guys can greatly benefit from this book it’s aimed higher and bigger. Maybe that’s another book. For anyone lost in the weeds of modern self-promotion there is a lot to like in this one.
Byron Edgington, author ofThe Sky Behind Me, a Memoir of Flying and Life

[Marty Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time! And I read about 60 books a year (I know some folks read more than that, but that's not bad!) Maybe I'm bias but I have huge respect for Scott McKain's talent and kindness. GREAT book for business people, all sales and marketing executives. Get the notebook out and schedule a meeting with your staff because you will be changing some things after you read this book!