Review : The Discipline of Market Leaders

Written By: Michael Treacy, Frederick D. Wiesema

This book will reorganize the way you think about marketing.

For what it does and the way it does it this book deserves a 10. It directly and enjoyably addresses the point it sets out to make, and gets there.

The basic point is this, companies that excell in the marketplace deliver on their customer's 'value expectation' with regard to themselves. The authors describe three areas where firms can and do excell in delivering on 'value expectation', operational excellence (best value), customer intimacy (service), and product leadership (innovation). They then describe in detail each of these positions.

For each of the three basic positions presented the authors offer real examples of companies using the approach their describing, as well as how they succeed using it. This is the background to the idea of product positioning - instead of a product focus, the idea here is a market sector focus.

The emphasis in "Discipline of Market Leaders" is on the customer's expectation for that particular market niche. Then, with sufficient details and examples to make it understandable and applicable, the mind set and process is developed and described.

You'll see some familiar and not so familiar names like Wal-Mart, Sony, and Airborne Express used as examples throughout the book. Rather than using these names as an exercise in self-promotion the authors actually make interesting and applicable points through these examples and illustrations.

I found the book an eye opening and memorable business read. I probably read between 75-100 business books a year and this is one I've remembered, and I've applied the material repeatedly with success.

Most of my collegues agree that in business, time is a precious commodity and wasting it is not suffered gladly. Read this book you'll find the investment worth it.