How to Make Returns a Marketing Advantage in Zappos

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I've been looking at supply chains as a source of strategic advantage for about 15 years now and I just finished a paper for the Harvard Business Review uh That was originally titled how to use the supply chain crisis that gets competitors. Let me break that in a couple parts lean manufacturing and just in time Are it from my experience or describing the same phenomena? The small batch minimum material has like self-scheduling manufacturing process that Toyota pioneered in the 50s. So let's do a very similar the effects of them being together if they show up on higher asset productivity In the form of higher work again with productivity andhigher productivity of plant equipment.

George Stalk Jr., business strategist and author of the book Competing Against Time, reveals the surprising ways companies can harness the power of time to blow past competitors, boost productivity, and send profits soaring.

Competing Against Time is the ONE book that Apple CEO Tim Cook makes all his executives read.

In this episode, you’ll learn the proven ‘hardball’ strategies that market leaders like Toyota use to win and discover the counterintuitive approach of paying more to ship and manufacture faster – and how those time advantages translate into unassailable market dominance.

George shares eye-opening examples of how relentlessly reducing time and variance through the entire value chain creates an avalanche of competitive advantages nearly impossible for rivals to copy. But it’s not just about speed – it’s about building a fast-moving, low-variance organization primed to adapt, innovate, and seize opportunities others can’t even see.

Whether you’re a business leader, entrepreneur or ambitious professional, this episode will give you a radical new lens for gaining an unbeatable edge in any industry. After listening, you’ll never think about business strategy or competition the same way again.

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