Taking on tuned out companies and boring business writing

Far too many companies dream up new products and services, that while innovative, don't solve customers' problems.

Making that case, David Meerman Scott, Craig Stull, and Phil Myers also debunk the notion that "innovation is everything" and many other myths in the book "Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities That Lead to Business Breakthroughs".

I recently read the advanced copy of the book provided courtesy of David and his co-authors at Pragmatic Marketing. (Note to those of you promoting books: providing advanced copies to interested parties is a great way to build up momentum and buzz ahead of your release date.) The hard copy edition is available online and in stores now.

As a big fan of frameworks, like our own MarketingPR Lead Generation Process, I appreciated the Tuned In authors' approach to creating a "resonator" - defined as a product that so clearly meets an unmet need in the marketplace that it pretty much sells itself (think of the iPod, ZipCar, and StubHub). The book takes the reader through real life examples and the key concepts contained in these steps:

• Find unresolved problems
• Understand buyer personas
• Quantify the impact
• Create breakthrough experiences
• Articulate powerful ideas
• Establish authentic connections
• End result: a resonator or a business breakthrough

Admittedly, these ideas smack of common sense. Yet the authors point out where many companies go off the rails following other seemingly common sense ideas such as "innovation is everything" or "customers know best."

It's in creating this sense of conflict with prevailing wisdom that makes this book an enjoyable and compelling read.

David Meerman Scott confesses his own use of this narrative technique of creating conflict and tension in a superb interview with Peter Clayton on Total Picture Radio.

In telling a story of his own approach to writing, David also challenges all of us responsible for business writing that the vast majority of our output is BORING! Have a listen for that claim and many more provocative ideas in the interview found here: TotalPicture Radio - The Voice of Career Leadership Development.

Final note: If you're not already listening, add Total Picture Radio to your RSS feeds or your iTunes podcast list. I think of Peter Clayton as the Terry Gross of the Recruiting and Career media space. Peter has interviewed hundreds of authors and business leaders with a focus on career leadership, recruiting, marketing, and subject areas well beyond. Of interest to readers of this blog might be recent interviews with Shally Steckerl of JobMachine, Paul Forster of Indeed, Petter Weddle of WEDDLE'S, Doug Berg of Jobs2Web, and Don Ramer of Arbita.

Additional resources:
Tuned In blog
David's Blog
Total Picture Radio with Peter Clayton