Tuned In

If you market a product, service, or idea in any business, industry or organization, you must read Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities That Lead to Business Breakthroughs, a guide to understanding and meeting the needs of consumers, whether or not they make those needs clear. An easy-to-follow six-step process developed over the past 15 years can help you address unsolved problems, recognize buyer personas, quantify impact and create breakthrough experiences. Stop wasting time by guessing what your market needs and start understanding consumer desire. Chapter 1. Why Didn't We Think Of That?

Products and Services That Resonate.

Tuned In – The Process And The Book.

Why Listen To Us?

The Realtor Who Resonates.

Getting Tuned In.

The Resonator.

The Tuned In Organization.

Is Tuned In For You?

What Led To Tuned In?

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 2. Tuned Out. . .And Just Guessing.

Eliminate The Struggle To Make Connections With Your Marketplace.

But We're The Experts!

The Dollar Nobody Wanted.

If We're Not Tuned In, What Are We?

Debunking The Myth That “Innovation Is Everything”.

Debunking The Myth That “Revenue Cures All”.

Debunking The Myth That “Customers Know Best”.

A Missionary Sell?

Are You Tuned In Or Tuned Out?

Resisting the Gravitational Force.

Is Your Refrigerator Running. . .Updated Virus Software?

Is It A Resonator?

Stop Guessing.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 3. Get Tuned In.

How Do We Build, Market, And Sell What Our Market Will Buy?

Listening To Your Existing Customers Is Not Enough.

It's Not a Rental Car, It's a Zipcar.

How Zipcar Tuned In and Created a Resonator.

Step 1—Find Unresolved Problems.

Step 2—Understand Buyer Personas.

Step 3—Quantify The Impact.

Step 4—Create Breakthrough Experiences.

Step 5—Articulate Powerful Ideas.

Step 6—Establish Authentic Connections.

Launching Products And Services That Resonate.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 4. Step 1: Find Unresolved Problems.

How Do We Know What Market And Product To Focus On?

Weren't They Just Lucky?

Looking For Problems.

Stated Needs and Silent Needs.

But Our Business Doesn't Solve Problems!

Show Me How You Write a Check.

Meeting With Buyers.

Look For Problems In Your Entire Market, Not Just Your Customer Base.

Customers.

Evaluators

Potential Customers.

Why Not Have Salespeople Tell Us?

You (And Your Family) Are Not Your Buyer.

Other Ways To Find Unresolved Problems.

Creating Disneyland.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 5. Step 2: Understand Buyer Personas.

How Do We Identify Who Will Buy Our Offering?

Same Product, Different Buyer Personas.

The Importance of Buyer Personas.

Picture-Perfect Weddings.

NASCAR Dads And Security Moms.

Grok Your Buyer Personas.

A Camera For Surfers.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 6. Step 3: Quantify The Impact.

How Do We Know If We Have A Potential Winner?

Urgent, Pervasive, And Buyers Who Are Willing-To-Pay.

1. Is The Problem Urgent?

2. Is The Problem Pervasive?

3. Are People Willing To Pay To Solve The Problem?

First Urgent, Then Pervasive.

Whoever Has The Best Data Wins.

Tuned-In Impact-Continuum.

Solving Problems for Road Warriors.

How Much Should We Charge?

The Acid Test and Your Buyer Personas.

Developing a Tuned In Business Proposal.

Measure What Matters.

Tuned In. . . Without A Credit Card.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 7. Step 4: Create Breakthrough Experiences.

How Do We Build A Competitive Advantage?

Experiences That Resonate.

Engineering A Breakthrough Experience.

Products and Services That Resonate.

Your Distinctive Competence.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 8. Step 5: Articulate Powerful Ideas.

How Do We Establish Memorable Concepts That Speak To The Problems Buyers Have?

Concepts That Resonate.

Find What's Most Compelling.

“The Elevator Speech Is Our Company's Compass”.

What's Your Powerful Idea?

These Guys Understand Me!

Danger! Vision and Mission Statements.

Resonate Like a Comedian.

Treat Every Patient Like The President.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 9. Step 6: Establish Authentic Connections.

How Do We Tell Our Buyers That We've Solved Their Problems So They Buy From Us?

Authenticity Beats “Messages” Every Time.

The Authentic and Transparent Hospital.

Connecting With Your Buyers Directly.

High Flying Communications.

Your Buyers Turn First To The Web To Solve Problems.

Think Like A Publisher.

“You Must Unlearn What You Have Learned^”.

What Do Donkeys Have To Do With Marketing?

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 10. Cultivate A Tuned In Culture.

How Do We Ensure Our Organization Is Tuned In?

Each Step Is Important.

Saying “NO”.

Sales and Distribution That Resonates.

Tuned In Employees.

Get Tuned In Right Now.

Top Ten Actions To Create a Tuned In Culture.

You Can Do It Too.

Chapter Summary.

Chapter 11. Unleash Your Resonator.

How Do We Become and Remain A Market Leader?

The Power Of Getting Tuned In.

The Tuned In Career.

The Tuned In Leader.

Get Tuned In Today.

Chapter Summary.

Notes.

Acknowledgments.

Index.

About The Authors.

About Pragmatic Marketing.

Next Steps.

This well-reasoned and useful guide argues that successful innovators can develop products that "resonate" by connecting deeply with consumers. This simple idea is delivered in a conversational tone and illustrated in well-structured chapters laying out a six-step "Tuned in Process" and examples that span borders and industries. From anecdotes about countryside hotels that sprouted up to provide respite for Japanese salarymen to Nalgene plastic bottles, which escaped the laboratory to achieve cult status and ultimately mass market consumer appeal, fascinating case studies abound. However, as appealing as the concept and the many examples are, the enthusiastic presentation begins to grate; the repeated invocation of the "Tuned in Process" may tire readers looking for more subtlety and fewer sound bites. Still, there is sufficient fodder for anyone who wants to shake the sleep out of an organization and renew a focus on creating the kind of value that customers are willing to pay for. (June) (Publishers Weekly, April 7, 2008)

"...helpful summaries...lively read for sales and marketing departments" (Training & Coaching Today, September)

CRAIG STULL is founder and CEO of Pragmatic Marketing and author of the industry-standard Pragmatic Marketing Framework.

PHIL MYERS is President of Pragmatic Marketing. He has led three successful technology start-ups, managed two initial public offerings, and created seven hit products.

DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT is the author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR from Wiley, a frequent keynote speaker, and a seminar instructor for Pragmatic Marketing.

Visit: www.tunedinbook.com.

Product and service sensations like the iPod, Starbucks, and FedEx were seemingly successful overnight. But it wasn’t luck, creativity, or clever marketing that led to their breakthroughs. Anyone can create hits that resonate if they stop guessing what people need and start spending their time building real and deep connections to what their buyers value most.

A proven strategy for dominating markets developed over fifteen years, Tuned In reveals the secrets that separate market leaders from followers and failures. It shows you how to stop wasting time and money trying to be innovative and start creating “resonators”— great products or services that people buy because they solve the problems they have and make their lives better.

Using a simple six-step process, Tuned In teaches you how to discover real and meaningful insights into any market. You’ll learn how to identify unresolved problems, understand what buyers really want, create breakthrough experiences, and establish strong, sustainable connections to your market. Through dozens of real-life examples across a wide variety of industries, you’ll learn how leaders create products and services that resonate—and the traps many others fall into when they don’t.

Anyone can use Tuned In to replicate the model for success. It works for well-known companies like Ford, Apple, and GE, as well as those not-so-famous companies like GoPro and Zipcar. It works for realtors, doctors, ministers, and even rock stars. Tuned In teaches you how to transform your everyday activities into those that create the kind of culture that builds market leaders.

If you want to win in today’s marketplace, stop pushing products your buyers don’t want with expensive, meaningless advertising. Instead, read Tuned In and discover how to connect to what people really want, and—most importantly—how you can become an organization they trust.