Focus by Al Reis

The lecture could be summarized, very simply, by the following premise: do less, but do it better. A business that loses its focus is bound to have problems.

Why have so many american companies lost focus? Al Ries attributes it to four reasons: 1. The boundless zeal to grow, grow, and grow; 2. Line extensions are considered to be competitively necessary and adequate to portray a dynamic and agile company; 3. The division of the company into interdependent units is considered one of the most effective ways of achieving this constant growth; and 4. The pressure to become global and expand to new markets, even if these are not profitable.

Ries advises companies to focus their business on areas in which they are productive, instead of trying to cover the whole market. "Your business objectives should center on the market segment you consider a priority", he states. Ries also claims : "The sharper your knife, the better it cuts", that is, when you pool your efforts into one area, you obtain better results.

According to Ries, the consumer's perception of quality is of utmost importance; more so than the intrinsic quality of a product. If a company is adequately focused, its publicity will be more effective and it will be able to use its efforts more productively.

Although the principles advocated by Ries may be applied in our countries and we could achieve better results in our companies focusing productive forces, organizational structures, and publicity efforts, the dramatic examples of spectacular results will hardly be seen in these latitudes. But we don't expect them to. We must remember that "back to basics", "keep it simple", and concepts as traditional and basic as these, are the backbone of the popular trends that are introduced by the marketing giants, and are the core of successful lectures and books-focused and very profitable-like "Focus" by Al Ries.