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box that sat on someone's desktop。 The same thing happened in the graphics part of
their business： Greer & Associates became their own typesetters； illustrators； and
sometimes even printers； because they owned digital color printers。 〃Things were
supposed to get easier；〃 he said。 〃Now I feel like I'm going to McDonald's； but instead
of getting fast food； I'm being asked to bus my own table and wash the dishes too。〃
He continued： 〃It is as if the manufacturers of technology got together
with our clients and outsourced all of these different tasks to us。 If we put our
foot down and say you have to pay for each of these services； there is someone right
behind us saying； 'I will do it all' So the services required go up significantly
and the fees you can charge stay the same or go down。〃
It's called commoditization； and in the wake of the triple convergence； it is
happening faster and faster across a whole range of industries。 Asmore and more analog
processes become digital； virtual； mobile； and personal； more and more jobs and
functions are being standardized； digitized； and made both easy to manipulate and
available to more players。
When everything is the same and supply is plentiful； said Greer； clients have too
many choices and no basis on which to make the right choice。 And when that happens；
you're a commodity。 You are vanilla。
Fortunately； Greer responded to commoditization by opting for the only survival
strategy that works： a shovel； not a wall。 He and his associates dug inside themselves
to locate the company's real core competency； and this has become the primary energy
source propelling their business forward in the flat world。 〃What we sell now；〃 said
Greer； 〃is strategic insight； creative instinct； and artistic flair。 We sell inspired；
creative solutions； we sell personality。 Our core competence and focus is now on all
those things that cannot be digitized。 I know our clients today and our clients in
the future will only come to us and stick with us for those things。。。 So we hired
more thinkers and outsourced more technology pieces。〃
In the old days； said Greer； many companies 〃hid behind technology。 You could be very
good； but you didn't have to be the world's best； because you never thought you were
competing with the world。 There was a horizon out there and no one could see beyond
that horizon。 But just in the space of a few years we went from competing with firms
down the street to competing with firms across the globe。 Three years ago it was
inconceivable that Greer & Associates would lose a contract to a company in England；
and now we have。 Everyone can see what everyone else is doing now； and everyone has
the same tools； so you have to be the very best； the most creative thinker。〃
Vanilla just won't put food on the table anymore。 〃You have to offer something totally
unique；〃 said Greer。 'You need be able to make
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough； or Cherry （Jerry） Garcia； or Chunky Monkey〃…three of
the more exotic brands of Ben & Jerry's ice cream that are very nonvanilla。 〃It used
to be about what you were able to do；〃 said Greer。 〃Clients would say； 'Can you do
this？ Can you do that？' Now it's much more about the creative flair and personality
you can bring to ＇the assignment＇ 。 。 。 It's all about imagination。〃
Rule #2： And the small shall act big。 。 。 One way small companies flourish in the
flat world is by learning to act really big。 And the key to being small and acting
big is being quick to take advantage of all the new tools for collaboration to reach
farther； faster； wider； and deeper。
I can think of no better way to illustrate this rule than to tell the story of another
friend； Fadi Ghandour； the cofounder and CEO of Aramex； the first home…grown package
delivery service in the Arab world and the first and only Arab company to be listed
on the Nasdaq。 Originally from Lebanon； Ghandour's family moved to Jordan in the 1960s；
where his father； AH； founded Royal Jordanian Airlines。 So Ghandour always had the
airline business in his genes。 Shortly after graduating from George Washington
University in Washington； D。C。； Ghandour returned home and saw a niche business he
thought he could develop： He and a friend raised some money and in 1982 started a
mini…Federal Express for the Middle East to do parcel delivery。 At the time； there
was only one global parcel delivery service operating in the Arab world： DHL； today
owned by the German postal service。 Ghandour's idea was to approach American companies；
like Federal Express and Airborne Express； that did not have a Middle East presence
and offer to become their local delivery service； playing on the fact that an Arab
company would know the region and how to get around unpleasantries like the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon； the Iran…Iraq war； and the American invasion of Iraq。
〃We said to them； 'Look； we don't compete with you locally in your home market； but
we understand the Middle East market； so why not give your packages to us to deliver
out here？〃 said Ghandour。 〃We will be your Middle East delivery arm。 Why give them
to your global competitor； like DHL？〃 Airborne responded positively； and Ghandour
used
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that to build his own business and then buy up or partner with small delivery firms
from Egypt to Turkey to Saudi Arabia and later all the way over to India； Pakistan；
and Iran…creating his own regional network。 Airborne did not have the money that
Federal Express was investing in setting up its own operations in every region of
the globe； so it created an alliance； bringing together some forty regional delivery
companies； like Aramex； into a virtual global network。 What Airborne's partners got
was something none of them could individually afford to build at the time… a global
geographic presence and a computerized package tracking and tracing system to compete
with that of a FedEx or DHL。
Airborne 〃made their online computerized tracking and tracing system available to
all its partners； so there was a unified language and set of quality standards for
how everyone in the Airborne alliance would deliver and track and trace packages；〃
explained Ghandour。 With his company headquartered in Amman； Jordan； Ghandour tapped
into the Airborne system by leasing a data line that was connected from Amman all
the way to Airborne's big mainframe computer in its headquarters in Seattle。 Through
dumb terminals back in the Middle East； Aramex tracked and traced its packages using
Airborne's back room。 Aramex； in fact； was the earliest adopter of the Airborne system。
Once Ghandour's Jordanian employees got up to speed on it； Airborne hired them to
go around the world to install systems and train the other alliance partners。 So these
Jordanians； all of whom spoke English； went off to places like Sweden and the Far
East and taught the Airborne methods of tracking and tracing。 Eventually； Airborne
bought 9 percent of Aramex to cement the relationship。
The arrangement worked well for everyone； and Aramex came to dominate the parcel
delivery market in the Arab world； so well that in 1997； Ghando