A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It’s our nature. Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. All those blogs and social networking sites are helping existing tribes get bigger. But more important, they’re enabling countless new tribes to be born—groups of ten or ten thousand or ten million who care about their iPhones, or a political campaign, or a new way to fight global warming. And so the key question: Who is going to lead us? The Web can do amazing things, but it can’t provide leadership. That still has to come from individuals— people just like you who have passion about something. The explosion in tribes means that anyone who wants to make a difference now has the tools at her fingertips. If you think leadership is for other people, think again—leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma leads a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, runs her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle. All they have in common is the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead. If you ignore this opportunity, you risk turning into a “sheepwalker”—someone who fights to protect the status quo at all costs, never asking if obedience is doing you (or your organization) any good. Sheepwalkers don’t do very well these days. Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers. . . . It’s not easy, but it’s easier than you think.

你愿意做一只紫牛还是愿意做一只普通的牛？ 　　你愿意鹤立鸡群还是平庸无奇？ 　　请你自己选择吧； 　　是什么让星巴克、捷蓝航空公司、苹果电脑、荷兰小于油漆店在市场上取得远远超过你所在企业的成功7这些公司是如何在不断的挫败与非议中获得令人羡慕的业绩成长，而将竞争对手远远地甩在身后的； 　　很多年以来；营销人员一直将传统的‘下”原则当成市场开拓的基本规律；一些产品也确实在市场上获得了成功。但时过境迁；如果现在你还简单地按照传统行事，成功与否就不在你拿控之中了。 现在德要在你的 P原则里；加入一个新的、也是更加重要的“P”——紫牛。 　　见过10只奶牛以后，你就会习以为常了，可是；在这个时候；如果出现了一头紫色的奶牛；你的眼睛一定会为之一亮，这也正是紫牛所揭示的真正含义：平庸总是导致失败，创新才是商业竞争中颠扑不破的真理。这个世界总是充满了平淡；消费者每天都要在市场中面对千篇一律的产品——就像普通的黑白花奶牛一样，但是你可以肯定；只有紫色奶牛才不为会被人遗忘。 　　在本书中，赛斯·高汀详细阐述了“紫牛”作为新的市场营销法则的理念——唯有让产品成为本行业中的紫牛，才有可能与众不同，出类拔草；才有可能在不消耗大成本的广告运作下使企业扩大市场规模。正如紫牛在一群普通的黑白花奶牛中脱颖而出一样，真正的营销应该是让人眼睛会为之一亮的、可以把人们的注意力恰到好处地引向我们的产品和服务的一门艺术。“不同凡响”同时也意味着你必须是领跑者，跟在其他卓越的人或公司后面，你永远不能提供不同凡响的产品和服务。 　　本书中，高汀通过上百则“自己会说故事”的产品案例来揭示紫牛战术；以大胆的创意冲撞传统营销，挑战营销人的极限。“营销转型”和“产品转型”的革命已经悄悄来临，你洞悉其中的玄机吗）你找到你的紫牛了吗。

The old saying is wrong-winners do quit, and quitters do win. Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you're in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try. According to bestselling author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts. Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security. Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer. Whether you're a graphic designer, a sales rep, an athlete, or an aspiring CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you're in a Dip that's worthy of your time, effort, and talents. If you are, The Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit-so you can be number one at something else. Seth Godin doesn't claim to have all the answers. But he will teach you how to ask the right questions.