Customer Reviews

Outsmarting Goliath: How to Achieve Equal Footing with Companies That Are Bigger, Richer, Older, and Better Known

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Debra Koontz Traverso presents a compilation of tips telling the entrepreneur or owner of a small business how to compete with established companies as well as other start-ups. Traverso includes a few personal examples, although this is mostly a how-to guidebook. Much of the advice may seem familiar to those who have read similar books or attended small business workshops, but Traverso does manage to throw in a few pointers that make you stop and think. For example: Stand up while you talk on the phone - it will increase your energy level. (Try it: It really works!) In addition, the book offers guidance on creating the right image, partnering with outsiders and family members, making the most out of mundane daily activities and marketing on a limited budget. Top executives may want to skim this to learn how start-ups and small businesses are striving to compete with them, but we [...] recommend this book primarily to entrepreneurs and small business owners who don't want to stay small forever.

This book has many great ideas for the small business person that I wish I had before I started my business. For example, just how to pick a name for the company or how to look like a big company without spending a fortune. The book provides examples from people who have done it and adds credibility to the content. I recommend for all businesses but especially fo the smaller business and one person operations.

"Some entrepreneurs view their smallness as such a negative thing that they hardly make an effort to gain lucrative corporate clients. But even if yours is a one-employee home-based business, you can make it appear larger and give big firms confidence in your ability to do the job, according to (the author and this book). It's all a matter of image. . . (the book) is replete with instructions for self-assessment to determine your current business image and how to enlarge that image. . . . . In an easily read style, 'Outsmarting Goliath' is a complete guide to small business image development." --Carol Celeste, The Network Journal

"The author's amazing insight into the needs of independent merchants in this time of accelerating change in the market place is remarkable. Suggestions for achieving performance and a more competitive rivalry with mammoth companies are many and valuable. This is not just a good read, but a handbook for coping." --Harold E. Hicks, The Book Shop, Inc.

I have played a lot of sports going through school and each of my coaches at all levels have always stressed fundamentals and then gone on to teach advanced theories and plays . In reading Outsmarting Goliath I am struck with the degree to which the author has gone to stress the fundamentals of a healthy small business, and then moved on to add tremendously helpful, simple and yet sophistocated ideas. Bartering! What a great idea I would have never thought of. I bartered to get a new phone system with voice mail and it cost me less than 1/3 of the purchase price, and there was no tax! Her down to earth and sometimes funny anecdotal accounts of small business owners who have tripped or succeeded have provided me with a treasure trove of wonderful tips and ideas, some of which I have already implemented. I will add more over time.

By taking advantage of ideas in this book I feel I can now focus on the things I do very well and not have to worry about my image.

Thank you Coach Traverso. Can a small business Superbowl be far behind?

This book is loaded with good ideas to help entrepreneurs and small start-up companies manage their image with a little panache. I hadn't given a lot of thought to the fact that how I answered questions from clients was either enhancing or detracting from how they viewed my company. So, one of my favorite parts of the book was the recommended answers to the top 25 awkward questions small business owners face. Without embellishing, distorting the truth, or outright lying, you can use those questions as an opportunity to build a strong image. That, alone, is worth the price of the book. I used to cringe when someone would ask me how big my three-person business is. No more. Now, they're opening the door for me to explain how my company is big enought to meet their needs, and then some.

This book has gems on every page. Lots of practical tips and tools that can be put to immediate use. Plus it's a great, quick read. Light, tight, bright, and useful; full of great examples. Traverso sure knows her stuff.

I bought and read this book after seeing positive reviews at more than a half dozen Web sites and small business publications. I found it to be very valuable in helping me position my company to be competitive. It offers a lot of easy-to-do tips, and I saw results in my marketing efforts right away. So I had to laugh when I saw an Inc magazine review that said some of the advice in the book is "predictable." I wasn't surprised that a Goliath publication, which is out of touch with us small businesses, doesn't "get" the point of the book, and therefore would downplay its good advice. Perhaps they feel threatened by it? This just goes to show that the book will probably open some eyes to the "real" plight of small businesses.

Finally a book with marketing techniques that are easy-to-understand and implement! Half-way through the first chapter, I was making changes in my business and the way I *do* business. After reading this book, I know that it is possible to compete with the "giants" in any industry with a little planning and innovation. Outsmarting Goliath is a MUST for all small business owners.

One of the fears that so many small business owners live with is the larger companies they may see as competition. _Outsmarting Goliath_ gives every one of them clear, doable strategies and tactics for things they can do, so they can keep their eyes on their OWN growth and success, moving forward successfully, without needing to worry about the other, bigger companies.

If you worry -- heck, even if you don't -- buy this book. It's a keeper for the small biz owner's library!