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something. As most would attest, change is
difficult. We get stuck in the way we do
things and get lost in the revolving door of
complacency and mediocrity. As the authors
say, “… people wear themselves out ... what
looks like laziness is often exhaustion.” Dan
and Chip Heath do a brilliant job of explain-
ing the three directions of change with their
analogy of The Rider, The Elephant and The
Path. It is imperative that we direct the rider,
motivate the elephant and shape our path.
The authors use real-life examples to suc-
cinctly show how others have made these
transformations. They also provide actionable
steps to help facilitate these changes. This
book will help you with multiple facets of
your life.
Act Now: A Daily Action Log for
Achieving Your Goals in 90 Days
Author: Peter D. Winiarski
As I coach various
individuals, I see
that one of the
biggest hurdles is
time management.
Winiarski does a
brilliant job of lay-
ing out all of the
obvious things we
know such as
defining goals and
understanding
daily actions, and he does it by breaking
these down into very simple-to-understand
language. In addition, what I have found
useful is his Daily Action Log which helps
track progress. I, for one, need to write
things down and make lists—perhaps that’s
why I found this book so effective. It has
been said that it takes 20-plus days to
change habits. I still find that many of the
principles in this book guide my success for
killer time management. This book will help
keep you on track once you’ve decided on
your path.
Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our
Era of Killer Competition
Authors: Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin
Let’s face it, our
industry is amazing
but
highly
competi-
tive. Our clients
and prospects can
buy what we sell
just about any-
where. What makes
you different, spe-
cial and unique?
Why would or
should people
engage you and buy from you? In order to
compete, many people sell at reduced prices.
In the long run, this creates chaos on prof-
itability, and it hurts the industry and the
long-term success of your business. In this
book, the authors share their brightest ideas
and most up-to-date changes in the market-
ing sector to drive their point of differentia-
tion home. A slew of case studies gives you
real-life situations that you can embrace to
help you create the needed changes to begin
to differentiate yourself in a heavily competi-
tive market space.
The need for differentiation is critical in
this day and age. Ease of entry to the indus-
try, low sales and business acumen by many
and price cutting can make it difficult to
make a successful living. If you want to
ensure a sustainable business, you need to dif-
ferentiate. Pairing this with a defined path
and actionable steps will start you on the
right road to success.
Idea Spotting
Author: Sam Harrison
Clients are always
asking, ‘What’s
new?’ or ‘Can you
bring me some new
ideas?’ This is what
I see as the key dif-
ferentiator for our
businesses: offering
creative and inno-
vative solutions
that go beyond
product is essential. I am blessed to have won
more than 23 industry awards for creativity
and have helped many others win hundreds
of awards for themselves. What’s interesting
is those who embrace this process seem to
have an epiphany—they understand that they
can bring so much additional value to their
clients. But where in the world do you come
up with ideas? It begins with you and chang-
ing your mindset—that’s what I did. Sam
Harrison’s book helped me see beyond the
obvious product and look at new ways of
using that product—ways that had a more
positive outcome for the client and myself.
His 10 points for “idea spotting” are brilliant:
borrower, explore the masters, imitation,
looking at others, taking notes, look to the
past, nihilist (you’ll need to read the book to
appreciate this), open-mindedness, picking up
the trash and staying still. This book is
engaging, fun and spot-on. In a crowded
market, having brilliant ideas—and lots of
them—is a key differentiator, and clients and
prospects will come to love your “beyond-
the-catalog” thinking.
48 •
PPB
• JANUARY 2015
GROW
Hear Cliff Quicksell Live
At The PPAI Expo
All sessions are free to member
show attendees and free to non-
members with a ticket.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11
Questions Are The Answer:
Interviewing The Client
2:30-3:30 pm
Becoming A Brand Architect And
Not The Supply House
4-5:30 pm
MONDAY, JANUARY 12
Six Reasons Why Marketing Fails
And How To Prevent It
8-9 am
Maximizing Your Trade Show
Experience
9:20-10:20 am
Differentiate Or Go Home:
Setting Yourself Apart In A
Crowded Marketplace
10:40 am-12 pm
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13
Offer Packaging: Gain HUGE
Profits
2-3 pm
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15
Building A Successful Marketing
Campaign From The Ground Up
9-10:30 am