The Power of Differentiation
by Barry LaBov
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 25 Jun 2024 | Archive Date 26 Jun 2024
Talking about this book? Use #ThePowerofDifferentiation #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
"If you want to make history with your brand, read this book!" - Jonathan Randall, President of Mack Trucks North America
Two facts to consider. There are over 500,000 brands in 2,000 categories worldwide. And nearly fifty million Americans left their jobs in 2021 alone. Realizing all this underscores how challenging, critical, and rare a brand is to be valued and loved by not only its customers but its employees as well. According to Barry LaBov, it comes down to just one word: Differentiation.
LaBov, author of dozens of books including The Power of Differentiation, is founder of LABOV Marketing, Communications and Training. In this book, he draws on his firm's forty years of differentiating hundreds of companies in dozens of industries. LaBov and team have inspired leaders to identify what makes their brand, products, technology, and services unique and to then celebrate it, first with the most important audience, their employees.
The Power of Differentiation reveals the steps needed to uncover the magic and genius in a company's manufacturing and engineering because your brand lives inside your products and technology. It shares case studies of service enterprises that separated from the pack as they focused on their customer treatment because your brand is your experience to customers. It reveals the secrets to mobilizing the sales channel to represent your company as if its logo is tattooed on their heart. And it focuses on the power of a brand's lexicon or language because words create worlds.
It's not about being perfect, either, as LaBov shares stories of flawed organizations that dominated their rivals. And you'll learn how to build your brand while defeating the competition as they lower prices by commoditizing or homogenizing their product.
The Power of Differentiation is an uplifting, insightful journey into discovering and celebrating what makes your brand unique.
Advance Praise
"This book beautifully illustrates how recognizing and celebrating what makes a company and its team members unique is paramount to achieving greatness for everybody." - Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, author of Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family
"If you're looking to transform your brand and inspire your organization, look no further than The Power of Differentiation." - Anoop Prakash, EVP Americas, AriensCo
"In the world of music, you must be extraordinary to stand out. If you want your brand to be a rock star, read this book." - Chuck Surack, Founder of Sweetwater, the world's leading music technology and instrument retailer
"The importance given to immersive, interactive, and dynamic learning is what differentiates Barry and what his teams can deliver. The ability to bring a brand to life through sensorial and tangible storytelling is what inspires people and drives advocacy." - Charlie Whitfield, Global Consumer & Internal Advocacy Lead, The Macallan
"No company can succeed without identifying and celebrating its unique competitive advantages. Barry provides a flight plan for your brand that will guide you to new heights." - Kenn Ricci, American aviation entrepreneur, Chairperson of Flexjet
"Brand differentiation isn't about being different for the sake of it; it's about being unforgettable, unignorable. This is a compelling read, peppered with insightful real-life examples and very relevant to any enterprise leader grappling with the disruptive challenges confronting businesses today." - Johan de Nysschen, Automotive industry visionary, Former CEO of Infiniti, President of Cadillac, President of Audi and COO of Volkswagen Group of America
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781954676862 |
| PRICE | US$17.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 216 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1394760
2.5 stars.
I was not the right audience for this.
I have a background in management, and as a part-time sole trader, I requested this book based on the description.
First of all, it does indeed deliver on what is promoted.
This book is a comprehensive guide for brand differentiation, and it is very well-structured.
The prose is engaging and easy-to-follow and covers possibly every topic that could come to mind about differentiation - the author has great advice to offer. I took some lessons as more generalised life lessons, reminders and professional tips.
Though, the writing style, some examples and some themes were not to my taste.
I recommend this to all managers, those in marketing and sales, brand management, and startups.
D Scott H, Reviewer
Barry Labov’s journey in the competitive world of music in the 1980s forms the foundation for his understanding of differentiation. Labov’s key premise in "The Power of Differentiation" is clear and valuable: The ability to explain why a company matters and what sets it apart in terms of customer needs and stakeholder expectations is critical. By sharing stories of leaders who have successfully differentiated their brands, Labov illustrates the power and pride that come from rallying a team around a unique value proposition. Throughout the book, the stories Labov tells and the points he makes made me reflect on how my own business is differentiated.
A particularly useful section of the book is dedicated to the concept of Brand Re-Engineering, a unique and thorough process his company has developed to help businesses discover and amplify their uniqueness. Unlike traditional branding exercises that focus primarily on customer feedback and creating immediate deliverables like taglines and logos, Brand Re-Engineering delves deeper. It includes comprehensive research involving not just customers but also employees, leadership, and distribution networks. This process uncovers the intrinsic value within a company’s products, services, and processes. By focusing on the intrinsic qualities of a company and involving all relevant parties in the re-engineering process, Labov ensures that the brand’s differentiation is genuine, compelling, and sustainable.
This book is a powerful reminder that true differentiation is not just a strategy but a journey of discovering and amplifying what makes your company extraordinary.
Pamela H, Reviewer
A "must read" for business leaders
At a time when competition for business is tighter than ever, Barry LaBov has written a book for leaders filled with keen insights and principles that can help set your business apart from competitors.
"The Power of Differentiation" is packed with stories about established companies across a variety of industries and the eye-opening transformations they made when leadership, employees, and other stakeholders truly understood the power of their differentiation and committed to taking meaningful action to bring it to life.
This book is a "must read" for business leaders. Treat it as a guide for your own discovery process. Don’t skip around! Each chapter builds on lessons from the previous one. That’s why it’s important to make time to read each chapter and discuss with your team how you can apply the concepts to your business. Once you’ve completed the book, keep it handy as a convenient reference along your company’s growth journey.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Carine Laforest, illustrations by Animation Cafe
Children's Fiction
David Rosner; Gerald Markowitz
Health, Mind & Body, History, Politics & Current Affairs
