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Summary: Power of Simplicity review
Review: "The Power of Simplicity" demonstrates that growing and marketing a business is a very simple task that people seemingly mistake as difficult. The fear of simplicity can lead individuals/businesses into failure. To start thinking and operating in simple terms it requires individuals to trust and implement their common sense. There are four common sense guidelines in which to follow: "Get your ego out of the situation," "You've got to avoid wishful thinking," "You've got to be better at listening," and "You've got to be a little cynical." After following these guidelines one must continually implement each part to keep operating a business to be as simple as can be.
· "Get your ego out of the situation." Reality is the main factor of good judgment. Good judgment can only be arrived at when there is an absence of ego. Ego can only taint the truth that statistics and judgment can bring in business decisions.
· "You've got to avoid wishful thinking." Wanting things to go our way is childish thinking. Although we may be able to swing things in our direction or favor through sound practice, we must realize that ultimately there are components uninfluenced by our wishes.
· "You've got to be better at listening." Listening is an essential skill for success. By listening to others you are able to find ways to relate, as well as meet needs, of clients.
· "You've got to be a little cynical." The book says that we must be cynical. This meaning that we must doubt all people say and only give credit to proven performance.
Differentiating yourself from competition is a very important trait to focus on. This is often considered to be difficult, but in all actuality is a factor of simplicity. It starts with developing a simple idea that distinguished you from competition. After this is established, the product and it features must support the developed idea. To implement this, a system must be designed to make customers and prospects aware of it all. With all these factors in place, the product will hold a solid image in the consumers mind and rise above the competition.
In the end, companies should break down each part of growing and marketing of a business to be as "simple" and practical as possible. A successful company/product is communicated effectively to customers due to the simplicity. Simple linguistic skills are more relative to the public. In turn, eliminating needless-difficult steps can result with a well established, successful company.
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Summary: Recommendation
Review: I would definitely recommend this book to people. It is an excellent book and it has a lot of information that someone could apply in many ways. Someone could apply it to more than just the marketing in an organization; they could apply it to other areas in the organization, their own career advancement, and their life in general. Of course, this book does repeat a lot of the things that Jack Trout talks about in his other books, but this is still well worth reading. Even if you are familiar with his work, it never hurts to be reminded, and there are still many new things you can learn. Even if you do not agree with every point he makes, there are many lessons to be learned from this book that can be applied in multiple aspects.
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Summary: Required reading for Big Company's
Review: As someone who has spent many years in large company environments, everything Jack says in his book is true!! Should be required reading for big business.
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Summary: Good ammunition...
Review: Good ammunition to get a company focused. Trout & Rivkin make the much-needed case for simplicity in strategy and communications. However the monday-morning-quarterback critiques are not accompanied by enough examples of companies getting it right.
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Summary: Good ammunition...
Review: Good ammunition to get a company focused. Trout & Rivkin make the much-needed case for simplicity in strategy and communications. However the monday-morning-quarterback critiques are not accompanied by enough examples of companies getting it right.
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Summary: An Underrated Management Book!
Review: Here's a book that I think every manager should have in their personal library. It is extremely clear and concise, yet makes for good reading. I've heard Mr. Trout speak before and I found him to be very right on. This is a book that cuts to the chase and is an anti-BS book. I particularly found the chapter on Self-Improvement to be insightful. His comments about Tony Robbins make for an interesting perspective especially from a manager's point of view. If you're a fan of self-improvement, be sure to read this chapter. It will help ground you and prevent you from getting too carried away with the seminar business. Mr. Trout points out the not-so obvious pitfalls. And think he's right on once again. Every manager should buy this.
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Summary: AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ
Review: I begin every book, especially a book with this subject matter, with a great deal of skepticism. How is "this" book going to change me? How is "this" book going to benefit me? Well, I must admit this book changed me. I became so engrossed in the authors' concepts and ideas. After reading it, I practiced Trout's and Rivkin's many suggestions and they worked. I threw away the clutter and useless information I held for years; I returned to the basics. As a result, I've become more efficient and effective. I definitely recommend this book. It's an easy read and a book I consider a necessity, even if you're not engulfed in the corporate world.
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Summary: Not much on "how-to", but thought-provoking nonetheless.
Review: I have been a fan of Trout (and Ries) for many years, and I am a firm believer in their take on marketing and positioning. This new book is very good at making you re-think your own organization and how things are done. The information explosion has uselessly added too much complexity, and led people to use consultants rather than their own brain power for many things. A thought-provoking book that can be read in a couple of hours, it contains a strong mandate for the need (if not the "how") to simplify the processes we all pursue in business. I will be buying copies for all my managers.
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Summary: Good Title...poor book
Review: I really wish this book did not have so many grammatical errors because I believe people need to simplify their life, but this book insults the reader's intelligence. If a well-respected author like Jack Trout is going to attach his name to a piece of writing he should make sure it is readable. In addition, this book seems to be choppy in its central theme. I do not remember the authors addressing the idea of simplicity throughout the whole book. The central concept was lost somewhere among Jack Trout's tirades to the business professional.
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Summary: Cut and paste - and not a very good job at that
Review: I recently purchased The Power of Simplicity by Jack Trout. This book's lack of originality is not my complaint. By page 70 I had bumped into enough interruptions from grammatical and printing errors that the book was quickly relegated to the "don't suggest" shelf of the de Francesca library. It is surprising to find so many mistakes in the printed text, given that so much of this book' s content was cut from earlier works by Mr. Trout and other writers.I would expect, and accept, this as a draft from a college student. I do not accept it from a reputable organization such as McGraw-Hill and under the name of Mr. Jack Trout who has been part of high quality writing projects in the past.
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