Customer Reviews

The Underdog Advantage: Using the Power of Insurgent Strategy to Put Your Business on Top

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sorry, I read just too many biz books to give this 5 stars. It does have one theme which is profound, as described by others above. So I will just say that, besides that, it seems to be a jumbled mess of miscellaneous content from elsewhere woven through and through with the same "just do it, win, win, win" and "go for it, win, don't lose". The content is not original and hardly gives the reader one lick of ideas for executing anything. The football and beer commercial references get old fast and after several chapters I began to wonder if these guys ever built a business from the ground up, or did they just go rah rah rah for someone else. Lots of hindsight ... so what.

In the frontier days of the Old West, a Smith & Wesson sidearm was called the "Equalizer" because it leveled the playing field for underdog pioneers who otherwise might not have survived the daily life-and-death drama of that period. Today, the authors of the book - "The Underdog Advantage" - believe that the underdog concept has transformed into a useable principles that can be successfully exploited across a wide range of endeavors including, military, political and business arenas. Soundview likes this book because the great equalizer today is information and access to that information via the Internet where cheaply-produced amateur content and products are available along side similar offerings from the traditional monoliths of commerce. The book helps codify the strategic overview and tactical execution that works best for the insurgent business owner. But it's just as necessary for anyone seeking to protect market share against the swelling ranks of the underdog.

A smart, witty and compelling read...this book will have you charging to instill change in your company well before you've finished reading the last chapter.

The authors recommend simple steps to implementing sophisticated strategies such as "do the doable" or "move the movable". The case studies are persuasive and argue in favor of an offensive, no-compromise, approach to taking market share whether you're the leader in your space or the "underdog". The book will tell you who to enlist to win, why and how. Can a management book be inspiring? Yes.

Still what struck me the most is the writing style the authors' use which is as energizing and dynamic as the strategies they recommend.

One of the best business books I have ever read. The energy is relentless throughout and the model is awe inspiring. A must read!

After 35 years of executive experience, I continue to be struck by the lack of urgency existing in organizations today. If there's one message in this book that should be paid attention to, it is the aspect of acting with a sense or overriding urgency. Every aspect of your competitive environment demands it!!

MJaroch

Business books can be a rather repetitive banter of "do this - get that" strategies, often very forgetable. This book was completely out of the average mold. Miller and Morey cut to the chase, keep up the beat and open the door to a different way of thinking. Whether using the overall strategies, or honing the instinctual skills, this is a must read for anyone trying to move forward in their business, their relationships, or their lives.

I worked for years at a large Fortune 500 company in which the new rules of marketing were largely ignored, and since the market was mature and slow moving, the effects were not easily felt.

However, the companies resistance to product oriented marketing and acting as an underdog as Professor Morey suggests has led the company into decline. Its no longer able to maintain itself as a premium brand and since its a mature market - has a large slope to climb.

This book, full of advice and case studies on how to act like an underdog and focus on product marketing is a great tool for anyone looking to grow or maintain market share. Highly Recommended.

Most business management books repeat at nauseam one or two concepts to improve one's business. The boredom experienced while reading such books has almost come to be expected. The Underdog Advantage is an exception. Not only is the book chock-a-block with concepts, too many in fact to outline in this review, but they are well explained, organized and supported by interesting case studies.

The concepts are simple yet strategic in their timing and application. The political analogies help with retention and to explain the concepts to others--A great tool.

I'd recommend this book to business school students and senior executives alike.

It is now a cliché. I first heard it from a high school football coach more decades ago than I care to recall.

"It is not the size of the dog in the fight that counts," the coach said. "What matters is the size of the fight in the dog."

The principles in The Underdog Advantage build winning attitudes and character. According to authors David Morey and Scott Miller, these principles can drive your business, marketing and communications strategy. Today the incumbent, the authors say, has fewer advantages. Consumers are flooded with instant information. As a result they feel overloaded. The traditional rules of mass marketing no longer are no longer valid. In this book the authors present the key concepts of the insurgent's strategy. They also describe how to develop them into effective tactical planning.

Using the model of a political campaign, the authors, illustrate the attitudes required for today's business environment. On Election Day you either win or lose. That reality frames an organization's objectives. It creates a bolder, aggressive sprit that focuses the organization on nothing less than total victory.

Overpowering force may still dominate markets, but it is an expensive way to win. The authors note that insurgent strategies will help your organization gain ground, satisfy customers and keep happy, more productive and committed employees.

After reading The Underdog Advantage, I feel confident with my decision to start my own small business. The book fave me the courage, energy and knowledge to help me make decisions that will allow me to strategize like an insurgen t and not an imcumbent.