Book Reviews

Creating Competitive Advantage By Jaynie L. Smith

Creating Competitive Advantage was published in April 2006 by Doubleday and hit Amazon’s best-sellers list within two months of being released. Jaynie Smith’s first book is in its 13th printing and still receives commendable reviews and praise. Select reviews are listed below.

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  • Presently one of the most influential books in the business world.

    BookJive.com
  • Ninety percent of the information used in organizations is internally focused and only ten percent is about the outside environment. This is exactly backwards.

    Peter Drucker
  • Smith’s elegant little book should be mandatory reading for all entrepreneurs.

    Richard Pachter
  • In this highly readable book, Jaynie Smith makes a compelling case for why you’re almost certainly mistaken if you think that your company’s sales and marketing pitches are relevant to customers.

    Jim McElgunn
  • I found Jaynie Smith’s book to be very informative and practical. It inspired me to DO something, rather than just contemplate theory. That is why I called her to engage an activity for our company. We so often talk about what we do right – why we are special – but it is generally from our own internal perspective. This activity forced us to realize that what our customers think is truly our ‘reality’ – and we need to meet their expectations regardless of whether we agree with them or not. I have found this exercise to be incredibly helpful in explaining a ‘marketing’ concept to the rest of my company. I am very pleased with the tremendous support and effort I have seen from all departments and leadership toward making changes based on the results of Jaynie’s work.

    Mary Ann Tournoux
  • In Relevant Selling, the author clearly shows why it is very likely that there is much we do not know about our customers, and why what we do not know can quickly make our organizations irrelevant. Fortunately, she also provides many examples and strategies for how an organization can learn what truly is relevant to our customers and prospects, and how to retain that way. The leaders of any organization who want to do a better job selling their products or services can benefit from Smith’s (no relation) relevant insights.

    R. Bob Smith III
  • As an attendee of Jaynie’s Smith’s keynote speech during Chemcraft’s national distributor meeting in Ft. Lauderdale early this year, I enthusiastically endorse and recommend Jaynie as a speaker. A key reason for my Chemcraft meeting attendance was to hear Jaynie speak and learn more about the Smart Advantage research approach. Her content was widely interesting to attendees, who were owners or leaders of their respective businesses. I found Jaynie’s content to be informative, innovative and entertaining. Hearing Jaynie speak cemented E.B. Bradley Company’s interest in engaging her Firm in a project to identify competitive advantages and execute against those findings. I highly recommend Jaynie as a speaker.

    Mike Scallon, Director of Marketing, E.B. Bradley Co. – Chemcraft/Akzonobel
  • Relevant Selling is a playbook for all times, all geographies, and all products and services. It is universal in its wisdom and makes that wisdom crystal clear.

    Richard A. D’Aveni
  • Outstanding! Jaynie L. Smith provided a memorable speech to the graduate business students by sharing her unique views on creating a competitive advantage, as well as her real industry experience. Ms. Smith encouraged students to relate to the topic by focusing on how they can create a competitive advantage for themselves when starting their careers. The students really appreciated her time and have come to understand the value in creating a competitive advantage!

    Catalina Victoria, President, Graduate Business Student Association Nova Southeastern University
  • Thank you for your presentation at our conference… The comments from speakers, exhibitors and attendees were overwhelmingly positive. One letter summarized it up this way, ‘I would like to congratulate you both on an outstanding CME program. I have been practicing medicine for over 10 years and I have to rank it up there with one of the best.’ It takes a team of people to plan and execute such success. And, it takes a great roster of speakers delivering value that meets or exceeds attendee expectations in order to receive the kind of comments we are receiving.

    Jeffrey and Cher Zavick – Immuno Laboratories
  • If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.

    Jack Welch
  • In a world where most and I mean MOST selling is irrelevant selling, Jaynie Smith’s Relevant Selling can mean the difference to you between profit and loss. My head is spinning with the wisdom in her book.

    Jay Conrad Levinson
  • Jaynie Smith was extremely helpful in directing the executive team of Zurich Specialties in
    identifying and articulating our competitive advantages. She helped us get over a very big hurdle…

    Seraina Maag, Former President, Zurich Specialties, Zurich North America Insurance
  • Jaynie was articulate, focused and gave high level advice to over 100 New York City CEOs. The audience stayed engaged and interacted throughout the entire presentation. It was impactful and all walked away with tangible action items that could add value to every company, if implemented.

    Alan Goodin, Executive Director, Kellen Company – EANYC Harvard Club
  • Compelling! The clarity in which Jaynie presents her message is particularly valuable. Finding and using your competitive advantage is the key to not only survival but more importantly, profitable survival.

    Chuck Lillis