Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

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  patrick_gauthier@...06/05/08 Report as spam
  1

  In Support of Less (Simply)

  I agree wholeheartedly with the author. As a pastuser of 37 Signals, their product allowed my small organization to work as though we were a Fortune 500 even though we were tiny. I love their product.
  
  I also love the idea that you can excel at someting small and simple and chip away at markets dominated by giants. Trying to beat monster companies by becoming as robust or as complex as they are is silly. Like Google, keep it simple stupid.
  
  A also applaud the idea that you can sell services to the executive who actually uses them. That's wonderful positioning and makes for a great value proposition.
  
  The trick, my friends, is in the pricing and the promotion. Small and simple are great goals. Just don't make the mistake of pricing yourself like you're a boutique and don't forget to market and promote your wares like a guerilla.
  
  37 Signals mastered simple marketing and viral promotions. Check out their pricing. That's the winning combo!
  
  Patrick Gauthier
  http//www.workflowIQ.wordpress.com

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  mrobinson@...06/06/08 Report as spam
  2

  sounds like product placement...

  Nothing against 37S, but this article and the reviewer above sound like a well-placed SEO article.

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  spettis06/05/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  Reminds me of the ever popular phrase WIN with a KISS
  What's Important Now
  Keep It Simple Stupid!!

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  wittsworld06/05/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  This is another way of saying:
  
  "Build a business that focuses exclusively on the needs of specific customers and gives them only what they'll pay for, and ignore everyone and everything else."
  
  Sounds like Strategic Marketing 101 meets Entrepreneurship 101

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  PSorensen-dk06/06/08 Report as spam
  5

  Strategic Focus

  "The Strategy must be clear as crystal and clearly describe how the company creates a unique position in relation to its customers and against its competitors. The organisation must fit like a glove with the strategy and a winning team of employees with the right competencies must be set. Operations must show positive figures and the key figures must point forward to show future potential of the business."
  
  If you are a B2B manager you may be interested in reading my blog about strategy formulation and - implementation
  
  www.strategyonline.blogspot.com
  
  Peter S?rensen

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  rogwithtcg@...06/06/08 Report as spam
  6

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  Carried to its logical conclusion, the company should just shut down. Then it could just sit back, do nothing and collect its clients' or customers' csh and graitude for doing nothing.

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  rogwithtcg@...06/06/08 Report as spam
  7

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  Carried to its logical conclusion, the company should just shut down. Then it could just sit back, do nothing and collect its clients' or customers' cash and graitude for doing nothing.

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  jwangler06/06/08 Report as spam
  8

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  No valuable info on this article. Flag this for future black list.

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  mstevens@...06/06/08 Report as spam
  9

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  There is no reason to push this "to it's logical conclusion", that misses the point. My company was just acquired a few months ago and the new company is more selective about which clients it will take. We want to offer solutions to their problems, not just complete projects. Now every company does this to some extent, i.e. we will only work with a company that will give us 30 days terms or 50% down payment. You are limiting who you will work with. The logical conclusion is not that you quit working with all companies
  
  In relation to the article I would like to hear more details about how 37Signals do this. What lens do they use for products and clients.

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  ninna.macaltao06/06/08 Report as spam
  10

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  Shades of Ries and Trout's "Positioning: The Battle for your Mind", specifically the concept of contra-positioning. I was 22 when I first read it and it has helped me time and time again in my personal and business life. Thanks for the reminder!

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  Kendallk06/06/08 Report as spam
  11

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  I've used Basecamp for managing multimedia production and love it! There's
  nothing better to break down silos and improve client relations. Basecamp helps
  us keep track of ongoing creative projects with a variety of artists and
  demanding clients.

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  Quench06/07/08 Report as spam
  12

  Executing what everyone else knows

  The concept isn't new, but doing it may be. The automotive industry reeks of over delivering on features people don't want or need. With the price of gas today, the most basic feature of fuel economy was overlooked by all but the few. The survivors are and will be those who deliver the essential basics.

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  asim.mehmood06/09/08 Report as spam
  13

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  This strategy is as think is applicable and suits only special organizations who are not directly linked with customers.. like service sector..this strategy would be more appropriate for companies working in make to order mode of operation. They should be focused on their marketing area more and production sector should do less but with quality.

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  jijutjohn06/24/08 Report as spam
  14

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  It sounds like an advertice ment for 37 signals. U could have mentioned the blue ocean strategy to beat competition

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  Pammi06/24/08 Report as spam
  15

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  Perhaps you should be more specific, because I think some people reading this blog will just use this as another excuse to slack off.
  
  My company targets a specific client base...we offer them solutions and only service them with what we feel they'll benefit from, need or have requested. Most companies are so quick to bombard a client with useless products resulting in wasted time and lost revenue. Secondly, we don't bite off more than we can chew. Taking on more than you're capable of just to keep up with or beat a competitor is a wasted effort that will bear nothing more than a headache and a high-level of stress.
  
  Sometimes less really is more.

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  Miss Cybernaut08/17/08 Report as spam
  16

  RE: Do Less Than Your Competitors to Beat Them

  As for 37 signals, seems like "keeping it simple" needs hell of a lot tutorials to LEARN how to do it.
  But I guess it has something to do with wich kind of software one uses first.
  
  For me, activeCollab is far better solution for project management and collaboration. Its incredible easy to get the job done and without even noticing that you actually are using some new software...quite experience!
  
  Check it for yourself, there is a demo
  http://www.activecollab.com