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Trout on Strategy

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Trout on Strategy

Capturing Mindshare, Conquering Markets

McGraw-Hill,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Marketing wisdom comes in nuggets: Hit the competition's weakness. Create differentiation. Think, then act. Stay simple.

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Jack Trout made his name with straight, pithy talk about marketing. This book falls into the Trout tradition. Although some of his core points – protect your differentiation, avoid jargon, focus tightly – have been said before, frequently by him, he has a good salesman's way of making it seem fresh and exciting. A reminder of certain basic, important verities is often useful, no matter how established they are. Trout is best in intense doses and much of what he has to say here, while not complicated, is true, practical and useful. Any marketer who reads this book will learn something of value. getAbstract finds it a worthwhile addition to the promoter's library as a motivational handbook, a memory jogger or a collection of short servings of solid advice.

Summary

Why Strategy Matters

Your corporation's strategy is tremendously important because it:

  • Establishes the company's direction.
  • Maps the playing field on which the company engages competitors.
  • Sets the tone for internal and external communications.
  • Blazes the trail for new product introduction and management.
  • Tightens the company's focus.

The business world has endured too much mystification and mumbo-jumbo and jargon about strategy. The best strategies are simple and concise — one unmistakable phrase can state a strong strategy. Strategic thinking occurs in a context and, today, the context for marketers is choice.

Customers have hundreds of choices. For example:

  • Going fishing? – You can choose to shop at Orvis, Cabela's, LL. Bean or Wal-Mart, and you can select from thousands of lures, hooks, lines, sinkers, rods, reels, creels, stringers, baskets, boats, canoes or kayaks.
  • Eating out? – Which of the hundreds of restaurants in and around your city do you want to try? Zagat Survey helps cut through the list with guides to restaurants in more than 40 cities.

About the Author

Jack Trout is president of Trout & Partners, a marketing firm with offices in 13 countries. He has authored or co-authored some of the most important books on marketing, including Positioning, Marketing Warfare, Differentiate or Die and The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.

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