Sunday, August 10, 2008
Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities That Lead to Business Breakthroughs See all 5 customer images Share your own customer images
From Publishers Weekly
This well-reasoned and useful guide argues that successful innovators can develop products that resonate by connecting deeply with consumers. This simple idea is delivered in a conversational tone and illustrated in well-structured chapters laying out a six-step Tuned in Process and examples that span borders and industries. From anecdotes about countryside hotels that sprouted up to provide respite for Japanese salarymen to Nalgene plastic bottles, which escaped the laboratory to achieve cult status and ultimately mass market consumer appeal, fascinating case studies abound. However, as appealing as the concept and the many examples are, the enthusiastic presentation begins to grate; the repeated invocation of the Tuned in Process may tire readers looking for more subtlety and fewer sound bites. Still, there is sufficient fodder for anyone who wants to shake the sleep out of an organization and renew a focus on creating the kind of value that customers are willing to pay for. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
This well-reasoned and useful guide argues that successful innovators can develop products that "resonate" by connecting deeply with consumers. This simple idea is delivered in a conversational tone and illustrated in well-structured chapters laying out a six-step "Tuned in Process" and examples that span borders and industries. From anecdotes about countryside hotels that sprouted up to provide respite for Japanese salarymen to Nalgene plastic bottles, which escaped the laboratory to achieve cult status and ultimately mass market consumer appeal, fascinating case studies abound. However, as appealing as the concept and the many examples are, the enthusiastic presentation begins to grate; the repeated invocation of the "Tuned in Process" may tire readers looking for more subtlety and fewer sound bites. Still, there is sufficient fodder for anyone who wants to shake the sleep out of an organization and renew a focus on creating the kind of value that customers are willing to pay for. (June) (Publishers Weekly, April 7, 2008)
Product Description
If you market a product, service, or idea in any business, industry or organization, you must read Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities That Lead to Business Breakthroughs, a guide to understanding and meeting the needs of consumers, whether or not they make those needs clear. An easy-to-follow six-step process developed over the past 15 years can help you address unsolved problems, recognize buyer personas, quantify impact and create breakthrough experiences. Stop wasting time by guessing what your market needs and start understanding consumer desire.
From the Inside Flap
Product and service sensations like the iPod, Starbucks, and FedEx were seemingly successful overnight. But it wasn't luck, creativity, or clever marketing that led to their breakthroughs. Anyone can create hits that resonate if they stop guessing what people need and start spending their time building real and deep connections to what their buyers value most.
A proven strategy for dominating markets developed over fifteen years, Tuned In reveals the secrets that separate market leaders from followers and failures. It shows you how to stop wasting time and money trying to be innovative and start creating"resonators"— great products or services that peoplebuy because they solve the problems they have and make their lives better.
Using a simple six-step process, Tuned In teaches you how to discover real and meaningful insights into any market. You'll learn how to identify unresolved problems, understand what buyers really want, create breakthrough experiences, and establish strong, sustainable connections to your market. Through dozens of real-life examples across a wide variety of industries, you'll learn how leaders create products and services that resonate—and the traps many others fall into when they don't.
Anyone can use Tuned In to replicate the model for success. It works for well-known companies like Ford, Apple, and GE, as well as those not-so-famous companies like GoPro and Zipcar. It works for realtors, doctors, ministers, and even rock stars. Tuned In teaches you how to transform your everyday activities into those that create the kind of culture that builds market leaders.
If you want to win in today's marketplace, stop pushing products your buyers don't want with expensive, meaningless advertising. Instead, read Tuned In and discover how to connect to what people really want, and—most importantly—how you can become an organization they trust.
From the Back Cover
Do you resonate in your market?
When it comes to creating and bringing new offerings to market, "tuned out" organizations get it wrong. They ignore the signals that reveal which problems buyers want solved and which solutions they will happily pay for. "Tuned in" organizations, on the other hand, take a radically different approach. They tap into the wider mind of the market and connect deeply to what their buyers value most, creating breakthrough offerings—called "resonators." These resonators offer value so immediately apparent that they seem to sell themselves.
Tuned In shows you six simple, yet powerful, steps to creating products, services, or ideas that resonate right out of the gate.
Uncover Opportunities Others Don't See
"When companies think they know what customers need, it invariably ends badly. Tuned In shows step by step how to create unique products and services in areas that established organizations fail to recognize."
—Rob McGovern, founder of CareerBuilder.com, and Chairman and CEO of Jobfox.com
Gain a Sustainable Competitive Edge
"This is a unique and fresh approach to how today's fortunes are made."
—Rick Page, author of the #1 sales bestseller Hope Is Not a Strategy
The Real Difference Maker
"The most important thing a CEO has to do is make sure his or her company is, and stays, tuned in. There are ongoing challenges with people, culture, strategy, and execution, but the real difference maker is consistently producing products and services the market loves."
—Steve Bennett, former CEO of Intuit Inc.
Build Deep Connections with Your Market
"Tuned In is a straightforward, commonsense approach to making connections with the marketplace. Authors Stull, Myers, and Scott have given us a great reminder of what so many established stars, and those on their way, already know: find out what your fans want, and find a way to give it to them."
—Jody Nachtigal, Personal Manager at Arcadia Group Management, and Co-President of Kissing Booth Music
About the Author
Craig Stull is founder and CEO of Pragmatic Marketing and author of the industry-standard Pragmatic Marketing Framework.
Phil Myers is President of Pragmatic Marketing. He has led three successful technology start-ups, managed two initial public offerings, and created seven hit products.
David Meerman Scott is the author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR from Wiley, a frequent keynote speaker, and a seminar instructor for Pragmatic Marketing.
Visit: www.tunedinbook.com.
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Business,
Craig Stull