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

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

~ (Author) "Simple Simon met a pieman going to the fair..." (more)
Key Phrases: competitive mental angle, differentiating idea, marketing warfare, Wall Street, General Motors, Papa John (more...)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

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Frequently Bought Together

The Power Of Simplicity: A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense and Doing Things Right + Jack Trout on Strategy + Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition
Price For All Three: $44.25

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  • This item: The Power Of Simplicity: A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense and Doing Things Right by Steve Rivkin

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  • Jack Trout on Strategy by Jack Trout

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  • Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition by Al Ries

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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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 30, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0071373322
  • ISBN-13: 978-0071373326
  • Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,777 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

33 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Simplification Isn't a License to Make Things Up, June 15, 1999
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.

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12 of 14 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
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!
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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
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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!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and powerful
This book is simply awesome. The book gets straight to the point of why being simple is better. If you need some guidance on keeping the business simple, this is your book. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ermilo Gonzales III

5.0 out of 5 stars A counter-cultural voice of reason
Jack Trout's books on marketing and brand positioning (with Al Reis) have a deep resonance with many readers. Read more
Published on June 11, 2006 by Alan Lekan

5.0 out of 5 stars I TEACH PEOPLE spiritually HOW TO LIVE YOUNG AND FLOURISH, not COMPLICATE their lives with guru worship!
Give it to them plain and simple as Trout says. They will feel comfortable with following a leader who gets on their level, but will be intimidated a speaker who speaks in... Read more
Published on May 7, 2006 by Derrick Garner

4.0 out of 5 stars Should a part of management and engineering training
Most young Engineers and MBAs are more into hype and complexity than into solving engineering/business problems in a simplistic manner. Read more
Published on September 17, 2005 by Mannina Magha

3.0 out of 5 stars some new useful material
Several ideas and examples are drawn from the authors' earlier work on positioning, 22 immutable laws of marketing, and bottom-up marketing. Read more
Published on December 28, 2004 by Anurag Gupta

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Title...poor book
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. Read more
Published on December 16, 2004 by C.D. Moad

4.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Simplicity review
I would recommend The Power of Simplicity to everyone. This book goes far beyond a discussion of marketing strategy. Read more
Published on December 13, 2004 by Todd J. Morgan

4.0 out of 5 stars Power of Simplicity review
"The Power of Simplicity" demonstrates that growing and marketing a business is a very simple task that people seemingly mistake as difficult. Read more
Published on December 10, 2004 by R.R.B.

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommendation
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. Read more
Published on December 9, 2004 by Kristin F.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great if you run the company
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... Read more
Published on February 13, 2003 by Jay Friedman

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