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Let's begin with full disclosure. I've known Scott McKain for a long time. And I've admired his work for as long as I've known him. So when I picked up his book, Collapse of Distinction, I expected great things. I got them. So will you.

We've known for years that sustainable competitive advantage grows from specific things. They are things that signal that you are different from the competition and that matter to your customer and that couldn't be copied. Most marketing books try to make that point by comparing behemoths.

Scott does a much better job by using an example from the arena where that difference stands out most clearly. He offers us the stories of two small businesses that thrived despite competition from giants.

One of those businesses is the diner where he used to take his dates. The other is his family's grocery store. When a small business creates an advantage strong enough to defeat a corporate giant, in spite of a huge disparity in buying power and advertising budget, it's something to take note of.

In the Collapse of Distinction, you'll discover the three key Destroyers of Differentiation. Businesses concentrate on beating each other instead of serving the customer well. New competitors are springing up faster than ever. And, the longer you're around, the more complacent you're likely to get.

So what should you do about it? That's the core of the book. Scott McKain lays out four steps to take your business to true distinction.

You can't become distinct until you clearly define your mission. You need to be creative in ways that improve the customer experience. Everybody in your company needs to know and understand what makes you different and why it matters. And you need to concentrate on making every customer experience so powerful that it builds loyalty.

The stories and examples that Scott uses will help you internalize the key points. But the structure will help you remember them and put them into action. Each chapter has an Executive Summary of the key points and suggestions for Action Steps.

If you're looking for a guidebook to help you stand out from the crowd in a way that increases your profitability and your sustainable competitive advantage, here it is. Collapse of Distinction is an easy-to-read and use manual for producing the results you want.

Boss's Bottom Line

Your job may not be "marketing" per se, but you still must market your team to the rest of the company. Scott suggests that the Four Cornerstones could be a quarterly program-i.e., focus on Clarity-both what the team is, and how you're communicating it.

Other Resources

The Alpha Factor by Wes Ball
If marketing your business is all or part of your job, the Alpha Factor is a book you should read. If you want to understand some things about the rise and fall of businesses, it is a book you should read.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.