Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsEven if you think you know it, you should read it
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2013
I had heard of this book so many times during my MBA and startup days so I always wanted to read it. But because this book is so highly quoted, I had also read various summaries and articles written around it. Reading these gave me the feeling that I know enough of what this book is all about and so perhaps I can give it a skip.
Turns out I was wrong. No matter how much you think you know it, this book is still a goldmine. In spite of knowing the basics of diffusion curve and the way innovation spreads, I still got to learn many new things. Just to highlight a few:
- Why do products with better features don't always end up winning the market?
- What are the peculiarities of users in each segment of diffusion curve?
- Difference between a sales driven and a market driven company and which one you should be?
- The importance of hitting the right pain point and choosing the right niche
Certain not so good things about the book:
- Most examples are bit dated as this book was written quite sometime ago so young folks might not have heard of these companies
- Certain parts of the book specially the sales strategy seem to be applicable more to the B2B businesses and less for B2C type consumer internet businesses
- Also certain portions of the book, specially the last chapter or so, seems like a little outdated in present context of 2013
Nonetheless, overall this book is a must recommend for all entrepreneurs, technology enthusiasts and product managers. It should be a part of your library as there will be times when you will have to look back and reference certain parts of it.