The Dip: The extraordinary benefits of knowing when to quit (and when to stick)

by Seth Godin

seems easy and exciting. It’s easy to be seduced by the new money and the rush to the fresh. The problem is that this leads to both an addiction and a very short attention span. If it doesn’t work today, the thinking goes, why should I wait around until tomorrow? The problem is that only a tiny portion of the audience is looking for the brand-new thing. Most people are waiting for the tested, the authenticated, and the proven. Very quietly, the Microsofts of the world hang in, going from version 1 to version 2, knowing that by version 3, the world will be a different (and better) place for them. Micro -soft failed twice with Windows, four times with Word, three times with Excel. The entire company is based on the idea of slogging through the Dip, relentlessly changing tactics but never quitting the big idea.