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The Book of Business Awesome / The Book of Business UnAwesome
UnAwesome is UnAcceptable. The Book of Business Awesome is designed as two short books put together—one read from the front and the other read from the back when flipped over. Covering key business concepts related to marketing, branding, human resources, public relations, social media, and customer service, The Book of Business Awesome includes case studies of successful businesses that gained exposure through being awesome and effective. This book provides actionable tools enabling readers to apply the concepts immediately to their own businesses. The flip side of the book, The Book of Business UnAwesome , shares the train-wreck stories of unsuccessful businesses and showcases what not to do. Ensure that your business remains awesome, instead of unawesome, and apply these awesomely effective strategies to your business today.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published July 17, 2012
9 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 30, 2013
This is the second book I've read by Scott Stratten. His real life examples are easy to translate to the workplace. Not only is this an entertaining read... Scott makes himself available via social media. He's a genuinely approachable person. Great book. Great author. Great advice.
September 7, 2012
Well-written, funny and full of commonsense advice (that unfortunately often isn't such common practice), with lots of useful 'takeaways'. Read this if you are in any way involved in business or marketing. Scott Stratten at his awesome best.
November 18, 2017
This is actually two books in one:
1. The Book of Business Awesome - How Engaging Your Customers and Employees Can Make Your Business Thrive
2. The Book of Business UnAwesome - The Cost of Not Listening, Engaging or Being Great at What You Do
The Book of Business Awesome
According to Scott, to be awesome in business, you can't mandate being awesome and you can't demand it. You have to hire awesome. You have to inspire awesome in others and you have to be your awesome self. Loyalty is building through amazing experiences. It is the front line who have the first and most important contact with customers but they are often the lowest paid and least appreciated. This book looks at how the impact of a company's brand lies with every area in a business (marketing, HR, PR, etc.) and how to build relationships. There are many examples of how businesses have gone above and beyond in creating excellent customer experiences regardless of the role of the employee in the company. As an educator/trainer, I found the tips for speakers interesting and helpful.
The Book of Business UnAwesome
The book focuses on how to be unawesome ... wasting time and money rather than focusing on your employees, ignoring and/or being rude to customers, making things difficult for customers, inappropriate and/or not well-thought out social media messages, etc. Throughout this book, there are examples of hall of shamers.
I liked the writing style of the two books. It is conversational, casual and amusing. I think Scott would be a fun guy to sit down and talk with. I read this book on my iPad and there are lots of links which I found myself going to as I was reading to learn more about the experiences Scott talked about.
I look forward to reading his other books and hope sometime to see one of his keynotes.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2017/11...
1. The Book of Business Awesome - How Engaging Your Customers and Employees Can Make Your Business Thrive
2. The Book of Business UnAwesome - The Cost of Not Listening, Engaging or Being Great at What You Do
The Book of Business Awesome
According to Scott, to be awesome in business, you can't mandate being awesome and you can't demand it. You have to hire awesome. You have to inspire awesome in others and you have to be your awesome self. Loyalty is building through amazing experiences. It is the front line who have the first and most important contact with customers but they are often the lowest paid and least appreciated. This book looks at how the impact of a company's brand lies with every area in a business (marketing, HR, PR, etc.) and how to build relationships. There are many examples of how businesses have gone above and beyond in creating excellent customer experiences regardless of the role of the employee in the company. As an educator/trainer, I found the tips for speakers interesting and helpful.
The Book of Business UnAwesome
The book focuses on how to be unawesome ... wasting time and money rather than focusing on your employees, ignoring and/or being rude to customers, making things difficult for customers, inappropriate and/or not well-thought out social media messages, etc. Throughout this book, there are examples of hall of shamers.
I liked the writing style of the two books. It is conversational, casual and amusing. I think Scott would be a fun guy to sit down and talk with. I read this book on my iPad and there are lots of links which I found myself going to as I was reading to learn more about the experiences Scott talked about.
I look forward to reading his other books and hope sometime to see one of his keynotes.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2017/11...
October 31, 2012
"In a new world order where everyone is claiming to be a social media guru, Scott Stratten has stood out as a champion. This is not called "the book of business awesome" for nothing. Even more fun he has created another side to the book called "the book of business unawesome" - one a collection of things done right, the other a warning for those who choose to ignore this medium and message.
His chapter on the "third circle of influence" is the best one pager on the revenue of reach I've every read - an instant addition to my arsenal on why business professionals need to wade into this world of “social business”.
I love that he constantly tackles the inner fears of marketing and business types "people are going to challenge and attack our product!". Yes they will, but this is real dialogue and Scott shares how brand leaders instantly flips bad reviews and solve customer problems - and in some cases get out in front of them and find revenue inside previous disaster.
In the world of client/donor service I continually argue with peers whose programs are focused on exhausting acquisition when the numbers show time and time again it is loyal customers/donors who hold the most revenue potential. It is time to serve and engage them in this medium and stay out front ahead of those who would steal them away from you.
Refocus: Companies/Charities aren't awesome, people are. Business IS personal, we often say "it's about relationships" - well if that is correct then it’s the humanization of brands and us as professionals that is going to build and strengthen these relationships. Using Scott's methods have really helped me take my business relationships to a more productive level.
Scott tells a couple stories of revenue business that started with one tweet, but he reminds the sceptic "you don't build a house with a hammer, twitter is just a tool you use in collaboration with your existing networks. He shares what the ROI will look like and that’s what we need more of instead of just the "how".
Scott's 30 tips for speakers is a rant from the cheap seats that will have any avid conference attendee throwing their lanyard in the air screaming "amen brother!!". It could honestly be published as a mini-book and given to speakers when they are confirmed to speak.
Like many business professionals I am sick of "wow, they went viral" stories. We never hear how they built their platform, how long did it take to get viral, what is the revenue and what does life after viral look like? Did the business scale up to succeed or was it just a big blip? Scott dedicates an entire chapter to the gritty details of this, it could be the first time I've seen this done so thoroughly, another big gift to the skeptic of social media strategy.
Moving to the UnAwesome side.... Scott dedicated this to the naysayers, negatives, skeptics - you will see someone in your work peers in this list. The head of marketing or finance who says "my kids spend all night on the twitter and bookface, I don't pay staff to spend all day playing farmville."
All new platforms take time to build and grow, I love Scott's candor at how every few months the head honchos yell "squirrel!!" and run off towards the next big and shiny thing. Working in fundraising for years in can admit this was the cycle of my life for a decade....
The best part of the unawesome side is that it speaks to the busy and overworked, it helps them understand the roots of trends instead of ridiculing them for not understanding. Social media isn't just tied to the web, it's about the future of mobile web. By 2014 the Internet will be used by more mobile devices than desktop computers. Google already reports that 61 % of users won't return to a site they couldn't access quickly, is your site ready for mobile use?
Finally someone outlines the social media platform calculations and the overhyped power of the Facebook like. Finally some really smacks down the droning pathetic "show me the ROI of social media" with the real talk of a business owner. Funny enough though, his book, all these detailed case studies, the actual strategy and comfort talking numbers results in Scott once again writing the best business case for social media integration I've seen to date.
Two for two Mr. Stratten.
His chapter on the "third circle of influence" is the best one pager on the revenue of reach I've every read - an instant addition to my arsenal on why business professionals need to wade into this world of “social business”.
I love that he constantly tackles the inner fears of marketing and business types "people are going to challenge and attack our product!". Yes they will, but this is real dialogue and Scott shares how brand leaders instantly flips bad reviews and solve customer problems - and in some cases get out in front of them and find revenue inside previous disaster.
In the world of client/donor service I continually argue with peers whose programs are focused on exhausting acquisition when the numbers show time and time again it is loyal customers/donors who hold the most revenue potential. It is time to serve and engage them in this medium and stay out front ahead of those who would steal them away from you.
Refocus: Companies/Charities aren't awesome, people are. Business IS personal, we often say "it's about relationships" - well if that is correct then it’s the humanization of brands and us as professionals that is going to build and strengthen these relationships. Using Scott's methods have really helped me take my business relationships to a more productive level.
Scott tells a couple stories of revenue business that started with one tweet, but he reminds the sceptic "you don't build a house with a hammer, twitter is just a tool you use in collaboration with your existing networks. He shares what the ROI will look like and that’s what we need more of instead of just the "how".
Scott's 30 tips for speakers is a rant from the cheap seats that will have any avid conference attendee throwing their lanyard in the air screaming "amen brother!!". It could honestly be published as a mini-book and given to speakers when they are confirmed to speak.
Like many business professionals I am sick of "wow, they went viral" stories. We never hear how they built their platform, how long did it take to get viral, what is the revenue and what does life after viral look like? Did the business scale up to succeed or was it just a big blip? Scott dedicates an entire chapter to the gritty details of this, it could be the first time I've seen this done so thoroughly, another big gift to the skeptic of social media strategy.
Moving to the UnAwesome side.... Scott dedicated this to the naysayers, negatives, skeptics - you will see someone in your work peers in this list. The head of marketing or finance who says "my kids spend all night on the twitter and bookface, I don't pay staff to spend all day playing farmville."
All new platforms take time to build and grow, I love Scott's candor at how every few months the head honchos yell "squirrel!!" and run off towards the next big and shiny thing. Working in fundraising for years in can admit this was the cycle of my life for a decade....
The best part of the unawesome side is that it speaks to the busy and overworked, it helps them understand the roots of trends instead of ridiculing them for not understanding. Social media isn't just tied to the web, it's about the future of mobile web. By 2014 the Internet will be used by more mobile devices than desktop computers. Google already reports that 61 % of users won't return to a site they couldn't access quickly, is your site ready for mobile use?
Finally someone outlines the social media platform calculations and the overhyped power of the Facebook like. Finally some really smacks down the droning pathetic "show me the ROI of social media" with the real talk of a business owner. Funny enough though, his book, all these detailed case studies, the actual strategy and comfort talking numbers results in Scott once again writing the best business case for social media integration I've seen to date.
Two for two Mr. Stratten.
February 17, 2017
I picked up this book years ago at SXSW where I had the pleasure to hear Stratton speak. He's a great speaker, engaging, memorable. His hatred for QR codes mirrors my own. This book, today, came across as deeply dated. Perhaps its become common knowledge? It reads as a set of casual blog posts. I cannot recommend it.
March 20, 2013
A 5 star review for "The Book of Business Awesome: How Engaging Your Customers & Employees Can Make Your Business Thrive"
"The Book of Business" is designed as two short books put together—one read from the front and the other read from the back when flipped over. Covering key business concepts related to marketing, branding, human resources, public relations, social media, and customer service, "The Book of Business" includes case studies of successful businesses that gained exposure through being awesome and effective. This book provides actionable tools enabling readers to apply the concepts immediately to their own businesses. The flip side of the book, "The Book of Business", shares the train-wreck stories of unsuccessful businesses and showcases what not to do.
Dear Readers: Scott Stratten's excellent new book is actually two books, printed back-to-back under the same cover. "The Book of Business Awesome," is a collection of examples, ideas and concepts on how businesses can deliver extraordinary customer service through actually communicating and connecting with their customers. The flip side, "The Book of Business Unawesome," shows the price of not communicating, not thinking, and not caring about your customers.
Really, this book is about culture and people. It shows ordinary front line employees doing extraordinary things and those extraordinary things having an impact far beyond the normal, or even intended, business interaction.
"The Book of Business" is designed as two short books put together—one read from the front and the other read from the back when flipped over. Covering key business concepts related to marketing, branding, human resources, public relations, social media, and customer service, "The Book of Business" includes case studies of successful businesses that gained exposure through being awesome and effective. This book provides actionable tools enabling readers to apply the concepts immediately to their own businesses. The flip side of the book, "The Book of Business", shares the train-wreck stories of unsuccessful businesses and showcases what not to do.
Dear Readers: Scott Stratten's excellent new book is actually two books, printed back-to-back under the same cover. "The Book of Business Awesome," is a collection of examples, ideas and concepts on how businesses can deliver extraordinary customer service through actually communicating and connecting with their customers. The flip side, "The Book of Business Unawesome," shows the price of not communicating, not thinking, and not caring about your customers.
Really, this book is about culture and people. It shows ordinary front line employees doing extraordinary things and those extraordinary things having an impact far beyond the normal, or even intended, business interaction.
December 16, 2014
I think my problem is I read too many Stratten books in a row. I really enjoyed the first one I read, and I've felt less impressed since then. I still really like his tone and humor - always nice to read a non-fiction book that has some good humor and makes me laugh in parts.
My biggest issue is that I am tired of reading the "same thing" over and over. Although the examples are new, I have read the same premise in his previous books over the last two months. Social media is vital, and here is what to do and what not to do. Although I appreciate new examples, it is not worth reading all of his books to understand it. I got it the first time. So I think I'll stop reading his books now. I recommend UnMarketing the most, and I think it has the widest implications for people across businesses and disciplines.
My biggest issue is that I am tired of reading the "same thing" over and over. Although the examples are new, I have read the same premise in his previous books over the last two months. Social media is vital, and here is what to do and what not to do. Although I appreciate new examples, it is not worth reading all of his books to understand it. I got it the first time. So I think I'll stop reading his books now. I recommend UnMarketing the most, and I think it has the widest implications for people across businesses and disciplines.
November 16, 2012
Scott was the speaker at a training event that my real estate brokerage hosted and I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book. Using real life examples of businesses doing awesome things and going above and beyond in the name of customer service and to fix mistakes (as well as often hilarious examples of businesses being unawesome in the flip side of the book, called the Book of Business Unawesome), Scott educates the reader on how we can do better business in a social media world. I enjoyed the set up of this book, two books in one - I read the Awesome side first. It was a fast and entertaining read as well as being educational. Recommended for everyone, not just those in business, who use social media.
October 7, 2013
Excellent read! Stratten shows us just what it means to be awesome in today's increasingly digital world. He shows real world examples of the good, the bad, and the UNawesome. The digital age means we have a larger audience and our actions our watched by the world. Stratten cautions all social travellers to beware; whatever you were before social is merely amplified by social.
Welcome to the digital age and, with Stratten as your guide, be prepared to learn and laugh a lot. I highly recommend this read to both the experienced social traveller and to those who are just beginning the journey.
Welcome to the digital age and, with Stratten as your guide, be prepared to learn and laugh a lot. I highly recommend this read to both the experienced social traveller and to those who are just beginning the journey.
November 29, 2012
Loved this book and all of the examples of companies and people doing it right and those doing it wrong. Chapter 25 in the Awesome part (there are 2 parts - Awesome and then you flip it over for the UnAwesome) is Awesome :) It answers the question - What's the ROI of Social Media?
Here's a handy checklist for being successful in business from Scott:
• Answer questions about your product or service
• Education consumers
• Offer post-purchase follow-up
• Market research
• Discuss industry best practices
Here's a handy checklist for being successful in business from Scott:
• Answer questions about your product or service
• Education consumers
• Offer post-purchase follow-up
• Market research
• Discuss industry best practices
March 6, 2016
A state of 'Situational-Awesome' best defines the time invested in this book.
Informative messages with sticky stories, a stack of great tips, and for me a personal twist ending offering info about Scott Adams whose book I recently enjoyed but am now a tad conflicted about.
Yes I powered through this book in less than a day, it has been on my shelf for three years, I have heard Scott speak, and somehow I though I had read it already. Goodreads reminded me I had not. I downloaded the audio version, put it on 2X and went for a long walk and absorbed the content.
Quality!
Informative messages with sticky stories, a stack of great tips, and for me a personal twist ending offering info about Scott Adams whose book I recently enjoyed but am now a tad conflicted about.
Yes I powered through this book in less than a day, it has been on my shelf for three years, I have heard Scott speak, and somehow I though I had read it already. Goodreads reminded me I had not. I downloaded the audio version, put it on 2X and went for a long walk and absorbed the content.
Quality!
October 15, 2012
A fast paced hit list of some wonderfully great and wonderfully horrible brand experiences in the growing world of social media. The book shows over and over again the impact of hiring the right or wrong people to manage your brand. Scott Stratten (if you haven't seen him speak in person, what are you waiting for?!) has a wonderful, humourous, approach to brand management, taught through the lens of social platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
December 10, 2012
Designed as a flip-book, half the book talks about companies that really get it; the ones that know how to engage customers and employees and just be awesome at what they do. The other half is dedicated to showing the real cost of not listening and engaging with your customers. Scott's conversational tone and sense of humor makes this a very easy read. I'd highly recommend this to anyone in business, regardless if you're in marketing or not.
November 11, 2012
Really liked his first book but this one was terribly inconsistent and often felt forced for page length. Having a lot of Twitter followers doesn't necessarily make you qualified to write two good books.
March 30, 2013
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, but that has no reflection on my rating. This was a true 5 star book, not 4 1/2 stars that bumped up to 5.
Scott Stratten writes with humor and gives great examples to get his point across. I found the book inspiring and relevant.
Scott Stratten writes with humor and gives great examples to get his point across. I found the book inspiring and relevant.
September 2, 2016
Tons of brief examples of great and terrible
customer service, PR and business use of social media. Entertaining read and great list of examples. Only thing missing is a summary list of rules for guys like me that forget everything they read shortly after finishing a book.
customer service, PR and business use of social media. Entertaining read and great list of examples. Only thing missing is a summary list of rules for guys like me that forget everything they read shortly after finishing a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2012
A good read on how to be awesome and unawesome in relation to your customers, using social media.
May 22, 2013
Great examples of being awesome and unawesome in business - and truly building relationships through social media. I am a fan of the author, but didn't love this book as much as his first.
October 14, 2012
See full review at Amazon. Reviewed for Amazon Vine Voices.
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October 14, 20123 Stars
August 19, 2013
light and fluffy two sided book (Awesome and Unawesome), most focused on social media and branding, some interesting stories but nothing earthshattering....
January 13, 2015
Great read! This is a fun and insightful book on what to do and what not to do in social media. I learned a lot and am looking forward to reading Scott's next book!
January 8, 2015
Would require tweaking of strategies to fit the Asian context. Some ideas does not work in the Asian region.
September 6, 2023
Fun fact: I have a chapter published in this book.
I had a blog once upon a time and Scott asked my permission to include one of the posts about Nightmares Fear Factory in here.
I had a blog once upon a time and Scott asked my permission to include one of the posts about Nightmares Fear Factory in here.
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December 20, 2017Really enjoyed this book... the awesome was interesting and the un-awesome was eye opening
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews