Customer Reviews

The Power Of Simplicity: A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense and Doing Things Right

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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!

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!

Several ideas and examples are drawn from the authors' earlier work on positioning, 22 immutable laws of marketing, and bottom-up marketing. There were a few ideas that are worth chewing on. For example, per Trout, success is often riding the right horse. Both hard work and intelligence are long shots, finding fast-growing successful companies is a long-shot; finding a successful product is a medium shot; finding a person with successful career trajectory and hitching your career to theirs is a more reliable way of duplicating success. Others such as avoiding all recent advances in technology may be a little simple-minded and perhaps, unnecessary in the end.

"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.

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.

If you own your own company or are truly in charge, I'd suggest reading this book. I think you'll agree with the authors that sometimes we overcomplicate things so much in pursuit of the golden nugget of data that we really had a much better process when we first started.

If you don't have significant influence over your company's (or department's) management, strategy and culture, you'll most likely find yourself just plain frustrated that "management" can't see the obvious.

Trout is a great author and a wonderful thinker. The world's business leaders would be doing themselves a huge favor to think and plan more like him.

Jack Trout's books on marketing and brand positioning (with Al Reis) have a deep resonance with many readers. A big reason is that they are clearly written with a simple message that is readily understood. Trout expands this concept of the importance of simplicity in this book beyond marketing and applies it to business in general. In it, he gives a refreshing, counter-cultural voice opposed to all the laborious guru-hype, endless buzzwords and MBA-babble - that too often only adds complexity without adding value. Trout quotes Jack Welch on this idea: "Insecure managers create complexity. Real leaders have the self-confidence to be clear, precise and to be sure every person in their organization understands what the business is trying to achieve."

In an entertaining and often-sarcastic tone, Trout goes after many deeply-ingrained business practices to expose their unhelpful complexity: LONG-TERM PLANNING (mere wishful thinking), GOALS (sound nice but can hinder emerging opportunities), GROWTH (those mandated 15% projections can lead to terrible long-term consequences) and those cumbersome MISSION STATEMENTS (add needless confusion). What may be most comforting for those who value a common-sense approach is how Trout stands up for the simple, obvious idea. But, in our high-tech, over-analyzed age, such simplicity can sound ... well, too simple. As such people in business often fear speaking up and being viewed as "an unsophisticated simpleton" lacking the latest analytical models. But, Trout encourages businesses not to fear that which is simple, but to embrace its wisdom and guiding light. His many relevant examples of success and failure help paint an effective picture. In all, Jack Trout is a refreshing voice of reason in a world beset by budensome complexity. Practitioners of gut instincts and old-fashioned common-sense should love this book. 4.5 stars.

Simplify what we do and simplify how we say it. I have had two experiences recently that support Jack Trout's ideas. A large and well respected chemical company hired a statistician to follow the executive team around to watch how they spent their time. Then he tracked their activites against decisions and actions taken and the results. He found that 85% of what they did was irrelevant. They were reacting to blips rather than trends. Second, a recent research study showed that almost half of the executives interviewed siad that poor and confusing communications in their companies result in decreased efficiency and higher employee turnover. I applaud Mr. Trout's efforts to bring us back to basics, while realizing that technology is changing what basics mean. Infomation will increasingly be available, which places the burden on asking the right questions to know what information you need. Understanding how to measure, develop and exceed best practices and find ideal but simple new ways to do things creates the best results. You can read more about this new management process for increased progress in THE 2,000 PERCENT SOLUTION by Mitchell, Coles and Metz. If you combine THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY with this management process for rapid progress by asking the right questions, you will find your 2,000 percent solutions.

This is a wonderful book to be read with caution. What's more - this is a book for people who are very experienced in marketing and business. When you write your x-th strategic marketing plan trying to do it even better incapsulating all new and modern concepts - this book works. It kicks butts. But... It reminds me my old chess tutor who was definitely a big champ. As a novice I was sitting with all those thick chess books trying to analyze some position on board. Then he says: "C'mon! Keep it simple! Forget about complex theories! What you need to do in this position (a) protect your king, (b) don't give up the centre and (c) make a break through on the queen's flank". Simple? Yes. Correct? Yes. Good strategy? Yes, if you are an international master. For a novice his kind of simplicity is very hazardous. What's the use of protecting the king when you overlook a mate in three moves?
To put is short - very refreshing and interesting ideas for an experienced manager but can be very confusing for a novice in business.