Review of "Launching to Leading: How B2B Market Leaders Create Flashmobs, Marshal Parades and Ignite Movements," by Ken Rutsky

Review of

Launching to Leading: How B2B Market Leaders Create Flashmobs, Marshal Parades and Ignite Movements, by Ken Rutsky ISBN 9781683500346

Three out of five stars

 Since the author uses sports references in the book, I am comfortable using one in the review. This book contains a lot of “Rah, rah” but very little in the way of X’s and O’s. In other words, there is a lot of discussion of what needs to be done but very little in the way of how it can be done.

 This is summarized very well by a section on page 152.

“By adopting the Viewpoint, Value and Experience approach outlined here, we can Breakthrough and win. To succeed in this journey we advise a simple, five-step plan.

1) Shift your mindset.

2) Identify your market leadership objectives.

3) Create your viewpoint.

4) Articulate your value.

5) Double your experience. “

 This points out that the author takes over 150 pages to come up with a simple and very general set of tactics that could have appeared on page 2. Furthermore, the elaboration of these points is done in approximately 1.5 pages. Hardly  an extensive blueprint for success.

 Another feature that I found unimpressive is the set of circular diagrams on pages 91-94. The labels in the diagrams are so small that they cannot be read without a magnifying glass and while the exterior text is larger, it is still not easy to read. This is inexcusable, if what you are putting on the pages is claimed to be important, you have an obligation to make it readable.

 There is nothing wrong with the content of this book, it is just underwhelming.