by Siimon
18. February 2011 09:18
One of the biggest business success stories is the Flip camera.
Millions of them have been sold and the company who makes it, Pure Digital Technologies, was sold to Cisco for $590 million in stock.
What's so special about the Flip camera?
Does it offer more than other cameras?
Well no, actually it offers less. A lot less.
And that's the whole point.
The Flip camera only has a few buttons, it's amazingly simple to use.
No need to read the instruction manual, you can be using it within 3 minutes of opening the box.
It massively outsells other video cameras by offering less, not more!
Here's another example.
A company called 37 Signals.
They sell software that helps you get organised and plan projects.
The company is growing at an astonishing rate.
Why?
Same reason. Unlike complex project management software, 37 Signals make theirs basic, simple, elegant and not complicated.
And millions of people love it.
Hey, maybe you should be doing the same thing.
Maybe your business model is too complex. Maybe your product or service actually offers too much.
Perhaps you should strip it back, reduce the elements, offer less not more.
Doing so will make your products easier to understand, easier to use, easier to market.
And very possibly, a whole lot easier to sell.