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MenuIf you had to pick one book on developing a competitive advantage for a tech company, which would it be?
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This is a good one. I'd recommend reading The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen. It provides a lot of insight into how companies get so invested into what they've built that they have a tough time identifying if/when to adapt to emerging technologies, behaviors, and helps identify how organization can better identify those opportunities.
My suggestion is to check out Ben Mack's book "Think Two Products Ahead".
Here's why:
1. If you stick to reading books and learning from only inside of your business sector you end up with redundant and "group-think" concepts and strategies. This means you'll end up thinking the way everyone else in that sector thinks and doing what everyone else does. And that WILL NOT give you the competitive advantage you are looking for.
2. In my experience there are several ways to garner a "competitive advantage" - which just means you have a strategic advantage in your marketplace against competitors. One of the ways I teach my clients (a very powerful way) is to identify your USP (or as Mack calls it - your "brand essence") and to use it in all of your marketing communications (internally and externally). [BTW - your USP is from the perspective of the paying customer or client... NOT something you define internally. It MUST be something the marketplace wants according to them - not needs according to you]
3. Instead of just discussing the theory about why you need to ID your brand essence (which he does) and giving you examples (which he does) he ALSO gives you exercises and tools to do it yourself.
WARNING: Ben uses language that might put some people off. But if you are an entrepreneur it means you probably have thicker skin that most... So it shouldn't prevent you from finding the diamonds and gold nuggets scattered all over the book.
Enjoy... And best of luck!
(and if you'd like help working though this from an outside objective expert - give me a call)
Anything from Steve Blank - and most of it is online - not in a book (yet!). Specific to competitive advantage, here is an Inc article about Steve Blank's new way to assess competition if you are just starting up: http://www.inc.com/steve-blank/a-new-way-to-look-at-competition.html
Competitive advantage separates a surviving business with a thriving one, but the source of competitive advantage can change from sector to sector and company to company. It’s possible you’ll have several possible competitive advantages, the one you choose to promote in your marketing and brand communication should be the one with the greatest differentiation and potential to engage. I believe that you will get a good amount of help from these books:
1. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor
2. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
3. Ultra Learning by Scott H. Young
4. Deep Work by Cal Newport
5. 10% Happier by Dan Harris
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
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