[The Law of Sacrifice] You have to give up something in order to get something
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[...] If you want to be successful today, [companies] should give something up. There are three things to sacrifice: product line, target market, and constant change [...] reduce the product line, not expand it [...] the second sacrifice, target market. Where is it written that [companies] have to appeal to everybody? [...] The target is not the market. That is, the apparent target of [the company's] marketing is not the same as the people who will actually buy the product [...] the third sacrifice: constant change. Where is it written that [companies] have to change [their] strategy every year at budget review time? If [companies] try to follow the twists and turns of the market, [they] are bound to wind up off the road.
The best way to maintain a consistent position is not to change it in the first place.
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Ego is the enemy of successful marketing. Objectivity is what’s needed. When people become successful, they tend to become less ...
No matter what your product is, you are ultimately in the education business. Your customers need to be constantly educated about the many advantages of doing business with you, trained to use your products more effectively, and taught how to make never-ending improvement in their lives.
In strength there is weakness. Wherever the leader is strong, there is an opportunity for a would-be No. 2 to turn the tables [...] If [the company] wants to establish a firm foothold on the second rung of the ladder, [it] should study the firm above. Where is it strong? And how does [the company] turn that strength into a weakness?
[The challenger] must discover the essence of the leader and then present the prospect with the opposite. (In other words, it shouldn’t try to be better, but try instead to be different.)
[...] The long-term effects are often the exact opposite of the short-term effects. Does a sale increase a company’s business or decrease it? Obviously, in the short term, a sale (discount) increases business. But there’s more and more evidence to show that Sales decrease business in the long term by educating customers not to buy at “regular” prices.
Aside from the fact that you can buy something for less, what does a sale say to a prospect? It says that [the company's] regular prices are too high. After the sale is over, customers tend to avoid a store with a “on sale” reputation.
(...) the key is to get the whole story into the headline but leave out just enough that people will want to click.
This echoes the words of Steve Jobs. "Focus is to say no to 1,000 good ideas."