Rating: 3 1/2 stars
When I first heard about The Big Picture, I was very intrigued. I’m a huge movie buff and always on the lookout for business books that can deliver useful information in a more interesting and creative way. Up to this point, my favorite has been I’ll Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss: Michael Franzese.
In The Big Picture, Kevin Coupe and Michael Sansolo use popular movies, from the classics to the current, to illustrate each business point being presenting.
For example, in regard to "Word of Mouth Advertising", the faux-climax scene from When Harry Met Sally was used. Once Sally’s throes of passion subside, she takes a bite of her sandwich; the customer next to her states, “I’ll have what she’s having”. Business point: Sally is a happy, satisfied customer and the others want to feel the same way. As an alternate perspective, Michael Sansolo relates a story that demonstrates the affect a dissatisfied customer can have on business: while on a flight to Washington Michael purchased a snack from the attendant, only to find it past it’s “use by” date. When brought to the flight attendant’s attention, she failed to appropriately remedy the situation; resulting in the surrounding passengers returning their snacks as well.
Other examples include “Never Underestimate Your Competition”, illustrated by Tucker: The Man and His Dream; “Denial Is Never A Good Thing”, illustrated by Jaws; and one of my favorites “Go the Distance”, which probably has less to the do with the business lesson and more to do with how Rocky (one of the best movies ever: “Take her to da zoo Rock”) was used to portray it.
The Big Picture is a very fun, quick read that does a great job of getting key business points across. Coupe and Sansolo manage to take an oft-covered topic and make it fresh and interesting. For those who want to continue the lessons, Appendix B lists additional movies and their corresponding business topic; which would go a long way in spicing up those mind-numbing corporate “team leader” meetings. Well, it looks like I have a new favorite—but let’s not tell Michael Franzese…
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Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Raphel Marketing; First edition (January 15, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0971154285