The Power of Simplicity [Hardcover]

Jack Trout (Author), Steve Rivkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1998

In sports, when things go wrong, the best coaches say. "go back to the basics". Renowned marketing expert Jack Trout has a similar message for managers who are struggling to keep up with today's everchanging business climate: "Keep it Simple". Trout advocates the importance of paying attention to the basics and simplifying the processes in order to stay focused on the core business issues at hand. Through case studies and interviews with successful executives, he shows managers how to cut through the jargon, articulate their vision, and regain control of the vital elements of their business in order to make it thrive.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Contending that our increasingly complicated corporate universe has made it more difficult for companies to grow and prosper, noted business strategist Jack Trout and communications consultant Steve Rivkin have proposed a radical new tack: simplicity. By boiling everything down to its essential elements, they maintain, managers can ignore new fads and hot consultants and instead focus on the true business at hand. Fascinating in its own unpretentious, logical manner, The Power of Simplicity is their stripped-down guide to a future without chaos and disorder. Addressing the basics involved as well as specific management, leadership, and people issues, they hit a variety of applicable themes--including information, competitors, mission statements, goals, and motivation--using short individual chapters that quickly get to the heart of the matter with a few germane anecdotes and expert quotes followed by suggestions that are both coherent and feasible. Each begins with an inspirational epigram by the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Malcolm Forbes, and even Mother Goose, and concludes with a Simple Summation, such as this one on strategy: "If you're not different, you'd better have a lower price." --Howard Rothman

From Booklist

It's back to the basics, and Trout says simplifying a business--any business--can save a businessperson big dollars and maximize profits. To start, Trout derides things that appear to streamline companies but in reality only muddy up the works, such as "mission statements." He also takes potshots at such things as Covey's "Seven Habits," being of the opinion that the use of words such as paradigm only introduces more complexity when it should be reduced. In fact, Trout says the biggest problem everywhere today is too much information; when it takes more than a few minutes to answer e-mail (he suggests checking the headers for stuff actually worth reading), it is obvious that the information supposed to help is actually drowning the entrepreneur. The most successful companies have eschewed showy trappings in favor of simplifying (he cites Southwest Airlines, Intel, and Kohl's department stores, among others), and with basically straightforward prose (naturally), he makes a compelling case for KISS (keep it simple, stupid.) Joe Collins

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 205 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070653623
• ISBN-13: 978-0070653627
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Simplification Isn't a License to Make Things Up, June 15, 1999

By 

Alex Wilcox ([e-mail]) (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Simplicity (Hardcover)

Trout's concept is great, as is his thesis. Unfortunately, he doesn't follow his own advice. I was less bothered by the typos than by the total inaccuracies (a cynic would say the manufacture of facts) rife in the book.

For example, Trout claims Southwest Airlines has no unions (p. 80) - wrong! Anyone vaguely familiar with Southwest knows they are in fact the most heavily unionized airline in the U.S. -- they just know how to manage them. If Trout really consulted for Southwest, I think they should get their money back!

Trout also self-contradicts: For him, the proof that Gillette does everything right is that they have sixty percent of the razor market (page 44). But on page 62, Trout harshly criticizes the advertising of Quilmes beer in Argentina. Their market share? Sixty percent. Trout wants it both ways.

Trout's summations are not simple -- they are circular or non-sensical: "Build market share and the numbers will come." Circular logic if I've ever seen it. "Goals are like dreams. Wake up and face reality." Huh? A goal by any other name...

Reading this self-contradicting, inaccurate book will be a maddening experience for anyone who cares about facts and clarity. If this book is a good example of the power of simplicity, it's only because it is not. It is just complicated and wrong.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No News since 22 Immutuable Laws, December 18, 1999

By 

manfredmann (Innsbruck) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Simplicity (Hardcover)

Just disappointing - neither Ries nor Trout have produced anything new since their first well-earned success. They didn't even bother to change the examples in their books. I'm talking about "them" as they always repeat the same standards for one decade now - no matter who the co-author may be (Laura Ries or Steve Rivkin respectively).It's always Xerox, Coke,etc..Whenever I read a book of these authors i check the title over and over again, to make sure, that I've actually bought a new book, and not an oldie - if the word Deja Vu ever made sense, than to describe what these guys are producing! Trout is right saying that everything is simple - at least for somebody like him-after decades in the consulting business and tons of books read!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, obvious, not so common, common sense., March 10, 2002

By 

Adam F. Jewell (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Power Of Simplicity: A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense and Doing Things Right (Paperback)

It's comical that someone could publish a book on "The Power of Simplicity". It's also says something about the corporate world - everything is always more complicated than it needs to be and things would run much more smoothly if people would keep things simple. In some ways, this is a management version of the Dilbert Principle.

This book is an easy read, and while similar to other books by Trout, contains enough unique material to be worth buying. It's on target, provides a simple yet powerful message, and is sprinkled with just the right amount of humor. If you are a fan of Anthony Robbins or other motivational hucksters you might take offense to this book. Trout pokes a little fun at these folks.

Pick up a copy of this book, kick back and relax for a couple hours and maybe you'll be able to start taking steps to simplify your personal and professional life. If you like this book, be sure to read "Positioning". It's a classic!