7 books. One evolving question.
What makes an organization matter to the people it serves?
Scott McKain is the author of business books on differentiation, customer experience, and leadership.
A Body of Work That Builds — Not Just Books
Scott McKain’s books don’t stand alone—they build on each other, tackling a single question:
Why do some organizations stand out…while others slowly disappear?
Drawn from cross-industry research and tested in thousands of real-world applications, these ideas don’t live on the page—they show up in how leading organizations compete, connect, and stay relevant.
From healthcare and finance to hospitality, technology—and even teams like the Savannah Bananas—leaders use this work to create distinction that lasts.
Organizational and bulk discounts are available for event organizers who want to extend the impact of Scott’s programs. Custom covers and personalized forewords are available for orders of 100 or more. Call 702-462-1600 or email team@scottmckain.com.
NEWEST RELEASE
BEYOND DISTINCTION
How Leaders Transcend the Turbulence of an AI-Transformed World
Wiley, 2025
The distance between distinction and irrelevance has never been shorter. In an AI-driven marketplace where competitive advantages are replicated, automated, or bypassed at a speed no previous generation of leaders has faced, the conventional playbook for differentiation is failing.
Beyond Distinction is the framework for what comes next—a values-driven approach to building organizations that don’t just stand out but stand for something durable enough to transcend the turbulence.
This book shows leaders how to stop the decline in differentiation, connect deeply with customers, attract and retain top talent, and build the operational discipline that turns conviction into lasting relevance.
Create Distinction
What to Do When Great Isn’t Good Enough to Grow Your Business
Greenleaf, 2013
Named one of the “year’s ten best business books” by thirty major newspapers
Why do customers choose one organization over another—and what makes that choice last? Create Distinction is the book that launched Scott McKain’s central thesis: in a marketplace where competitors have access to the same technology, the same talent, and the same playbooks, the organizations that succeed are those that build genuine differentiation into everything they do. The book provides the foundational framework—the Four Cornerstones of Distinction—that organizations worldwide have adopted to identify, communicate, and sustain what makes them truly different.
7 Tenets of Taxi Terry
How Every Employee Can Create and Deliver the Ultimate Customer Experience
McGraw-Hill, 2014
One cab ride in Jacksonville, Florida, became one of the most retold stories in the professional speaking world. The driver—Taxi Terry—provided a customer experience so extraordinary that Scott included it in his keynotes, where it became a signature moment for audiences worldwide. This book explores the seven principles behind that experience and turns them into a practical guide for every employee at all levels. It is a book about engagement, ownership, and the individual’s power to create something remarkable—regardless of job title.
ICONIC
How Organizations and Leaders Attain, Sustain, and Regain the Highest Level of Distinction
Forefront Books, 2018
Named by Forbes as one of the “year’s ten best business books”
What distinguishes organizations that compete from those that endure? ICONIC is the book that elevated Scott’s work beyond mere differentiation into the realm of permanence. It looks at what iconic companies and leaders share—and offers a straightforward framework for achieving, maintaining, and, when needed, regaining that status. The research behind ICONIC uncovered a vital insight that became central to everything that came after: standing out is essential, but standing for something is what makes an organization last.
The Ultimate Customer Experience®
5 Steps Everyone Must Know to Excite Your Customers, Engage Your Colleagues, and Enjoy Your Work
Forefront Books, 2023
Every organization claims to care about customer experience, but few have a system that delivers it, one that their customers can’t get elsewhere. The Ultimate Customer Experience® summarizes Scott’s research and consulting work into five clear, actionable steps that any professional can adopt—whether they are on the front line or in the executive suite. This is the book for organizations ready to stop merely talking about customer experience as an aspiration and start designing it as a discipline.
Earlier Works
Scott’s earlier books laid the groundwork for everything that followed — exploring the role of emotion, connection, and experience in business long before these ideas became mainstream.
ALL Business is Show Business (Thomas Nelson, 2002)
The book that introduced Scott’s foundational insight: the entertainment industry’s ability to create emotional connection is exactly what every business needs to earn lasting customer loyalty. A groundbreaking argument when it was published—and one that has only grown more relevant as experience-driven business has become the standard.
What Customers REALLY Want (Thomas Nelson, 2005)
An exploration of the fundamental disconnections between what organizations offer and what their customers actually crave. The book identified six major areas where this gap occurs and provided a framework for bridging it — moving businesses from transactional relationships to the kind of compelling experiences that create fierce loyalty.
Bring the ideas to life for your audience.
Every book on this page was written to be implemented, not just read. If you want your team or audience to experience these frameworks firsthand, explore Scott’s programs or check his availability for your next event.