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Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It [Paperback]

Al Ries (Author)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While he doesn't go so far as to say that small is beautiful, Ries (Positioning) levels a commonsense critique at the compulsion for growth that drives corporate America. Growth for its own sake, particularly when it involves diversification into products unrelated to a company's original business, Ries says, causes many companies to become unfocused, confuses customers and loses money. The frenzy for acquisitions that spread many a well-known brand name over a diversity of products has proved untenable, with the result that companies that grew fat are regaining their original focus by slimming down. Sears, Roebuck, a once focused retailer that expanded unwisely into real estate, stock brokering, business system centers and credit cards, is having to divest itself of all but its original retail chain. Managers seeking to focus or refocus their companies will find helpful examples here, drawn from a broad range of enterprises. $50,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Ries, whose previous books were authored with Jack Trout, writes his latest with research assistance from his daughter. Together they go after the management of some of the world's most easily recognized firms, including PepsiCo and IBM. The authors use companies' experience as evidence that "focus" on the core businesses or products is the key to success in today's business environment, arguing that companies that remain focused, e.g., Volvo or McDonald's, have a substantially better track record than those that have strayed from their "core" businesses. This thesis, which is illustrated liberally with examples from the business world, is thoroughly developed. The reader may not always agree with the authors' statements, but they are well made and worth considering. For all management collections and for libraries that support all types of business, large or small.
Littleton M. Maxwell, Business Information Ctr., Univ. of Richmond, Va.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (September 27, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060799900
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060799908
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #108,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #91 in  Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Marketing > Research

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Al Ries
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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unfocused company, quality axiom, digital science, second brand, powerful perception, home personal computers, powerful focus
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United States, General Motors, New York, General Electric, Digital Equipment, Federal Express, Wall Street Journal, American Motors, Radio Shack, American Express, Packard Bell, Silicon Graphics, Eastman Kodak, Western Union, Bud Light, Levi Strauss, Little Caesars, Burger King, Miller Lite, Philip Morris, Lou Gerstner, Pizza Hut, Sara Lee, Blockbuster Video, Business Week
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Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It
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Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries Paperback 4.3 out of 5 stars (87)
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The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! by Al Ries Paperback 4.1 out of 5 stars (131)
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Customer Reviews

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36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Very Good data, but poor presentation, September 24, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It (Paperback)
The book is full of valuable information. But Al Ries does not know how to use facilitators to reading. Such as the use of short paragraphs, sections in each chanpter, short chapters etc. The books written by the duo (Ries and Trout) where much better.

The team was very good. It brought us The 22 immutable laws, Positioning, marketing Warfare etc..., But alone I think Ries lacks flare and and trout lacks substance.

Get back together and show us more of the Old stuff.

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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining . . . Informative . . . Sometimes Shallow, May 13, 2000
This review is from: Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It (Paperback)
In this book, Al Ries defines corporate focus as an organization's "necessary" and relentless pursuit to specialize within its industry. For example, one of Ries' examples, PepsiCo, should've focused on its core competency (the Pepsi cola brand), and spun off all other divisions such as its food chains division (KFC, Pizza Hut, Del Taco) and its snack foods division (Frito Lay). PepsiCo, he claims, will lose the war with Coca-Cola unless it focuses on just one enemy (Coke) rather than several. Interestingly enough, Ries's prophecy towards future focus within organizations happens to have become the biggest hit on Wall Street in 1997, and in the case of PepsiCo, came true.

Overall, Ries's call for corporate focus makes a lot of sense. He provides some wonderful examples throughout the book where companies have lost steam through a lack of focus, and then regained it through refocusing. In fact, probably the greatest contribution of this book comes from Ries's expansive milieu of business examples to support his focus-centered thesis. However, this book's downfall becomes apparent in its mid-section where Ries exposes his ignorance about other business philosophies that he imagines are different than his own. For example, his discussion of quality-based management (TQM) is hopelessly misinformed and biased, which will become obvious to even the neophyte in TQM philosophy. It is through his discussion of quality-based management where Ries's bias towards only his way of doing things is exposed. Also exposed is the fact that Ries's area of expertise is marketing, and he consequently pays less respect to others areas of business (namely, operations and support areas).

Although I enjoyed the many excellent business examples that Ries provides for the reader, and would recommend the book for that reason alone, I would not recommend the book as a whole. I believe that Ries's focus-centered thesis has trapped him to focus only on his way of focusing. To put it another way, Ries's focus will help a company perhaps attain its desired financial and market results, but can not contribute to the overall growth and development of the organization. As experienced here at JOICO, the word focus (without proper understanding) can be used in a multitude of different ways. Furthermore, we may focus on a certain type of product or market niche so much that we may miss the changing trends in the world that will someday make our focus and market dominance irrelevant. For example, Ries encourages Kodak to concentrate on its core competency, chemically processed film, and leave the digital stuff to another company. That may be good for Kodak's focus, but will probably kill Kodak in the long-term when chemically processed film becomes a thing of the past.

This book is very interesting, but I would not recommend it to the easily swayed business reader. Ries' is a sweet-talking salesman when it comes to his point of view, and it takes a well-educated outside view to see through some of his arguments.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, application pays dividends!, January 24, 2002
By Philip B. Clement (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It (Paperback)
About five years ago my colleagues and I at a technology start-up called Inforte found this book. As we grew from 15 to 450 professionals the counsel in this book was a life saver! Inevitably new members of the executive team would want to execute line extensions, get into training, outsourcing, software development, etc. but we did as Al advised and stuck to our guns - focusing only on services. His point - focus is like the sun, as it spreads out it becomes weaker and diluted. On the other hand, concentrated like a laser it is at its strongest.

This book was the best and easiest way to explain to new team members our philosophy. Three years later we were able to meet Al and ask him to join our Board - where his continued application of focus, the brand strength, the increased margins, the stability - all had tremendous payoff. I have read all of his books and if you can only read one - this is it! A great book to give starting Entrepreneurs and pays off large dividends for anyone running a business. It is also a quick read and keeps a fun, macro perspective on the topic.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Keeping things in focus
I have been a fan of Al Ries for years, ever since reading Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition" more than a dozen years ago. Read more
Published on July 15, 2008 by Kay Paumier, Communications Plus

5.0 out of 5 stars A good reminder for those of us in business
This is an excellent book. It is a good reminder for those of us especially in smaller businesses to not try to be all things to all people. Read more
Published on June 9, 2008 by Lance Gyldenege

5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Written in 1996, but still right on. Al Ries knows branding. Find also: 22 Immutable Laws. Favorite Chapters: Finding your Word. Narrowing Your Scope. Divide and Conquer. Read more
Published on March 11, 2008 by Ronald C. Hoopes

5.0 out of 5 stars Being Focused made my business
Way back in 1994, I started a golf business with nothing more than a credit card and a $5k limit. I was doing both retail and wholesale. Read more
Published on December 3, 2007 by Dan Allan

5.0 out of 5 stars When I started up my business...
When I started up my business, AUDIN Web Design, I used this book as my bible. It has worked so well for me. Read more
Published on March 29, 2007 by MarsMan

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read For Corporate Execs
It's human nature among company managers to fall in love with their own brand, which makes them lose sight of the REAL issue, which is what the customer's perspective is. Read more
Published on March 26, 2007 by L. Zwoll

5.0 out of 5 stars Stay Focussed, Specialize, Own Your Niche, SURVIVE !
Focus delivers. This book by Al Ries, one of the world's best know marketing strategists, hones in on the benefits of the anti-intuitive practice of focusing. Read more
Published on June 21, 2006 by R. Peter Valentine

2.0 out of 5 stars Focused, but undisiplined
I believe this book makes a valid point for the pularity of companies today. There are just enough tidbits to make the read worthwhile. Read more
Published on April 23, 2004 by James Damschroder

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book
I have not finished this book yet, but I believe I am already benefited from the book. I won't be as puzzled and frustrated as I was, facing distractions and many seemingly... Read more
Published on April 3, 2004 by Z. Yu

5.0 out of 5 stars Either You Love It Or Hate It!
Too many CEOs & businessmen did and are still doing the opposite.

"Focus" is easy to be convinced and same easy to be forgotten. Read more

Published on December 10, 2002 by Sampson Lee

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