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Post by patrickschwaner on Apr 1, 2014 13:22:37 GMT -6
Well, in my opinion, just because our technology is better today it does not necessarily mean our lives are "better." I would argue that the increase in extreme technological advances is what has led many people today to become boring and transparent. This, in turn, is what has led so many businesses and products to become boring and so much like the rest of the competition.
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Post by bmcgarry13 on Apr 7, 2014 20:20:50 GMT -6
Despite Tom Peters giving dry speeches, they are worth the listen! In today’s world, increases in technology/mediums to conduct business, a push for innovation, and lower production times lead to the oversaturation of “new” but similar products. A business might fall victim to a sea of likeness when they think they have something unique and don't. Unique products are often backed with more money as companies take on risk because they think it will earn them higher profit...when returns fail companies have trouble recovering.
To further the point, competitors offering similar product/services will drive the value of your product down leading to less profit. In some cases, if product value is driven down too much, companies will be forced into selling at a loss. This loss is hard to mitigate because it was unexpected. Lower production times can be disastrous as decisions are given less thought and are executed at faster rates.
I believe borrowing, when done right, to be almost as strong as innovating. Take from innovations their important components and work on providing it to people in a cheap and ubiquitous way which does not harm the bottom line as much. I believe this is why disruptive innovation works so well. Being a low cost and effective provider can cripple competition while benefitting your company as the competition will be forced to lower prices. Remember a loss for someone creates an opportunity for someone else!
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Post by pellirf22 on Apr 14, 2014 2:40:12 GMT -6
TITLE- Tom Peters: TRAPPED! How To Escape the Sameness Trap
Companies today have mastered their business, product, and market. Especially in corporate business, companies have found their niche and become satisfied with the success of their company and product. This habit can have detrimental effects i.e. redbox to blockbuster. In highly competitive markets of today’s business world, companies must constantly grow and innovate to survive.
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Post by kati3 on Apr 14, 2014 14:47:00 GMT -6
It is nice to see Mr. Peters with something other than the "presidents desk/ bookshelf" background. Companies are getting caught up in doing the same things over and over and doing the same things as other companies to compete. They get so busy trying to keep up that their products and practices are exactly the same as everyone elses.
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Post by katelynjones on Apr 16, 2014 10:48:37 GMT -6
I really hated this video. All over the place and hard to follow. But on the subject of sameness, they are a lot of companies who offer that same product and/or service. So making your product or service stand out from the rest is up to the company and their creative spin on it. One benefit as a customer that I like, is that if I am looking for a product and I know I can find it online for cheaper, I can just go on Amazon and get it for cheaper and still have the same product.
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Post by kelseywatson on Apr 21, 2014 19:54:10 GMT -6
The speaker hit on the point of sameness, which all companies can at some degree fall into. The speaker points out retail specifically, but this applies to all things as competition drives us to be better and if someone else is doing something that is working better than you, then you are more prone to change into doing the same thing. I guess the so-called trap of sameness shows that there can be a lack of innovation, but it also provides opportunity, because if most businesses are the same and you do something different that is successful, you could possibly gain a competitive advantage.
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Post by jessweaver on Apr 22, 2014 23:05:03 GMT -6
The "Sameness Trap" is challenging business now more than ever. With our world constantly changing and evolving, companies must also continue to change and evolve. This can be a huge challenge for some companies as they think that why fix what is not broken. But, if you don't fix it now then it will be broken beyond repair in the future. There are so many companies out there that are exactly the same. I think that they only thing that can set companies apart is customer service. Companies must challenge themselves to be creative and innovative in order to be successful in today's business world.
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Post by amandayoung3231 on Apr 24, 2014 10:17:45 GMT -6
This is true. I think a lot of companies try to out do one another. But the problem with that is you always have to reinvent your product to keep up with the other companies who are trying to out do you. However, it is one thing to know this and another to go out and change something.
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Post by sdoescher on Apr 24, 2014 15:52:21 GMT -6
What I learned from this video is that you need to be different. You can’t just settle for sameness and expect to standout. While many people have gotten better with time in regards to their products and services, they don’t standout because everyone has improved as well. We must differentiate ourselves, get on the bus or get off. Things need to change. Businesses offer different things rather than just the same thing that everyone else is.
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Post by meganlynch on Apr 25, 2014 14:51:29 GMT -6
Tom Peters makes a good point. Companies today are improving but becoming more the same. New entrants to the industry are producing what every other person in the industry is producing. Tom Peters recognized that if companies keep becoming similar then their products will become a commodity. This would be very dangerous for the economic market if there was not as much competition in the industry. Companies should focus on differentiating themselves. Products are more likely today to already have high quality, something needs to stand out that customers can remember in order to make a decision.
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Post by dnewson on Apr 27, 2014 14:50:31 GMT -6
I agree with this video stating the situations where multiple companies become trapped in the "Sea of Sameness". We have seen companies that have gone out of business due to the competitiveness and offering the same products as other companies but being ran out of business. Companies must stand out by offering something different than what they competitors are offering in order to survive and not fall in the trap of sameness.
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Post by chelsearickett on Apr 28, 2014 0:39:53 GMT -6
Can't stand this guy, but he makes a good point here. If I'm in the automobile business, then I want to improve my 2015 cars from my 2014 cars. While this may be easy to do and the 2015 car may be significantly better, that doesn't mean it's "better" or any different from the other dozen or so of automobile companies. The product we offer is different, but it's not unique. It's the SAME as others.
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Post by allisonschex on Apr 28, 2014 13:13:20 GMT -6
Companies get caught up in the sameness trap because they don't have creativity, they are just going off of other successful products. They need to find a way to differentiate themselves from their competitiors by not focusing on what is already invented but what they can do to have a better product. This video mentioned how important e commerce is in the world today and I can't agree more. Living in today's world we are spoiled with having pretty much any kind of information we need with a click of a button, so it's important to allow customers to get information on your company/product that they want.
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Post by lmoore on Apr 29, 2014 15:41:08 GMT -6
I agree that businesses offer the same products. Businesses need to find creativity when it comes to their product so that they are not stuck in the sameness trap and can really standout from other companies rather than just improving upon their product to outdo competitors.
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Post by jessicaratelle on Apr 30, 2014 12:17:56 GMT -6
I do totally agree with this. The "Sea of Sameness" is definitely an issue that businesses see today. So often, businesses all provide the same goods and same sales options and they all fall into the same category. Companies are always trying to produce what they have found to be the best product, when really they should be focusing on how to make a new product. Something is only exciting whenever it is original. I think the point was very clear in this video.
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