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Focus

The Future of Your Company Depends on It
By: Al Ries
Narrated by: Al Ries
Length: 3 hrs
4 out of 5 stars (86 ratings)

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Publisher's Summary

If your company has lost the focus it once had, here are clear solutions for moving your organization back to its key service and discarding everything else. Ries, coauthor of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, gives clear examples from a variety of industries and demonstrates how crucial focus can be. Focus, he offers, is the key component to the successes of on-track companies such as Coca-Cola, Volvo, Sun Microsystems, and Little Caesars. He defines a new standard of corporate competitiveness for companies both big and small and passes on his extensive marketing experience and cutting-edge managerial advice. Get focused: your future depends on it.
(P) and ©1996 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., All Rights Reserved, Harper Audio, A Division of HarperCollins Publishers

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Really the economic history of IBM...

This book was referenced from a pastor I follow and so I thought I would check it out. It is out dated. In fact, the author makes fun of Bill Gates for predicting the combining of TV, radio and the internet. Every time you turn around he is referencing IBM. I did catch some jewels in here, but I wouldn't spend a credit on this one. It is basically a "do what you do best" idea, which is not a novel one. Lots of history on mergers and acquisitions that was rather boring. I have the paper copy coming so I guess I will highlight the keepers. If any of this was helpful, please click YES below. Later.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Extremely dated yet still has value

Would you try another book from Al Ries and/or Al Ries?

Possibly. Although this book is incredibly outdated it does share important ideas in businesses recognizing the need to focus and specialize.

Has Focus turned you off from other books in this genre?

Absolutely not.

What three words best describe Al Ries’s performance?

Matter of fact

What did you take away from Focus that you can apply to your work?

The importance of specializing to set yourself apart in business.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Older recording but still very relevant today

replaced a warn out tape with this digital recording... this should tell you everything you need to know. if not, then my advice is to listen to this recording over and over, and put the authors advice to work for you and your organization!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great and convincing argument for focus

In business and in life focus is counter intuitive to logic. Great read/listen! Listening again. III III II II

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book

This is worth hearing for any executive, business leader, or entrepreneur. A contrarian view of how to dominate your market.

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • William
  • Atlanta, Ga, United States
  • 11-29-11

Sound fundamentals

Interesting that he predicted exactly what some companies needed to do (IBM). Will also be interesting to see how his take on cable/telephone plays out.

One great takeway for me - always be in front of the market for your products. Paraphrased in my words... if anyone is going to put your product out of business, let it be a new version that you develop.