I just read a press release on a book by Dr. Dan Herman that puts a new spin on the 80/20 rule so far as developing a new product launch is concerned. You know the 80/20 rule — 80% jump onboard but only 20% do the work. Or, 80% of the sales comes from 20% of the clients. Or, maybe you’ve heard it this way 20% of the sales force products 80% of the sales. At any rate, we’re all familiar with the 80-20 rule as it applies to our endeavors.

Dr. Herman gives it a new twist. He says that 80% of any product or service destined to be a hit must be based on Familiarity — i.e. on characteristics that have been “tried and tested.” The other 20% must be based on the “Cool! Wow! Twisted!” or, in a word: innovative. The press release goes on to offer 8 more interesting aspects for creating and launching a marketing hit.

The book surprised me because it is full of valuable ideas and information that most people in business do not even consider. A reviewer on Amazon says it well: “Herman says that all of us in business read the same things and, in general, do the same things. Thus, we get to about the same place. To wit, we’re clones…. So we must outsmart the clones and this book gives us the tools that we don’t learn in school or books or the many ebooks we can buy online…. This is not a typical book with typical methods. It flies in the face of what we’re taught.”

Hmmmm …. who said you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks? This book is full of surprises. I recommend it.

~Linda

Spread the Word to: