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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Submit My Creating Competitive Advantage ReviewRelevant 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.
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.
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.
Jaynie’s presentation is dynamic and leaves you pondering “what is our Competitive Advantage” and what are my people selling? Clarity in messaging for our sales people has a greater opportunity to make a sale and deliver clear promises to our clients.
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.
Smith’s elegant little book should be mandatory reading for all entrepreneurs.
Relevant Selling very effectively reveals that a company’s self-image can blind it to the realities of the marketplace, and that customers are attracted to (or repelled by) features that the company may not consider to be important. You need to look outside of yourself and make a proactive effort to learn what your marketplace demands, and respond to it. To me, a business book really resonates when its message goes beyond the narrow intention of the book. This one does.
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.
Throughout my ‘athletic’ sales career, I have held positions with companies like Nike, Stride Rite and Sketchers before making my move to Puma. In all that time, I was never exposed to a training session like [Jaynie Smith] conducted for us on Friday. In that short time, your presentation truly made me think about how I pursued my business and through your suggestions and exercises, made me rethink/revise my ‘old ways’ of attacking / maintaining my customer base – Thank you!
Jaynie Smith took great care in providing the critical information needed to help our members understand how to gain a competitive advantage. She is an excellent speaker and her presentation was extremely relevant.
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!
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.
Relevant Selling is cleverly practical and extraordinarily insightful. The straightforward style of Ms. Smith makes this invaluable book a must read for every business person.
Having spent the morning at Jaynie’s presentation today at Newcastle, im so pleased i have at least 10 hours to calm down otherwise i would not sleep.
I have never, ever received a presentation that has pricked so much inspiration. You mention the AHA moments, well, i found lots during your presentation. I cannot wait to purchase your books as I feel I can learn so much more. 25 years thinking i was good at my job only means after I read you books and indeed implement what you say will make better. I often read, “Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with”, my answer now is Jaynie Smith, i could listen to you for ever.A relevant competitive advantage gives buyers a reason to choose you over your competition.
