Episode #166: How Companies Like Facebook, VMware and 5-hour Energy Dominate Markets

When multiple people in my life, otherwise unrelated to one another, are recommending I read a particular book, I pay attention. I’m pretty smart that way.
So, when I was unable to get away from one recent recommendation, I finally decided to give it a go. And I’m glad I did.  

The book I’m talking about is called Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets by my guest Christopher Lochhead, along with Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson and Kevin Maney.
They ask what do Facebook, Google, Salesforce.com, Uber, VMware, Netflix and a few others, have in common? Why do some start-ups last and build value while others flame out?
They key, Christopher and his co-authors argue, has to do with creating, developing, and dominating new categories of products and services.
In today’s episode, Christopher and I talk about how it’s done. Click “play” below for more.
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In today’s episode, Christopher and I discuss:

* What it means to sell “different” versus sell “better”
* The importance of understanding Category Design and the steps to take to identify it for your company
* How not to let the grind of the day-to-day lull you into taking the easier route
* …and much more!


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Books Christopher Recommends
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber
Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
The works of Jack Trout
Christopher’s Resources
The best place to find out more about Christopher is at his website.
Grab a copy of Christopher’s book courtesy Amazon.
Be sure to heck out Christopher’s podcast. It’s called Legends & Losers.
Connect with Christopher on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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