Book Description

"Scoring Points" is the dramatic, previously untold story of how Tesco used Clubcard -- its loyalty scheme -- to reinvent itself and its relationship with its customers, in the words of the people who were there. Between 1995 and the present day, Britain’s second largest grocer not only came to dominate supermarket selling in Britain, but created one of Europe’s fastest growing financial service companies, launched the world’s largest internet grocery business, and created a global retail giant selling everything from travel insurance to televisions. How? By getting to know its customers better.

Clive Humby and Terry Hunt have helped to mastermind this spectacular transformation. With Tim Phillips, one of the UK’s top business journalists, they now tell the inside story. This is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what customer loyalty means, how it works -- how it will change the way companies sell...and the way we shop. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best of its kind
This is a well written book with a nice chronological writing style which makes it feel like an adventure . The author manages to avoid speaking marketing jargonese and skimp on technical specifics of how the program was implemented providing ample details of the infrastructural , logistic and IT challenges faced by the loyalty program. Also interesting is the focus on explaining the rationale of every decision Tesco has made and a unbiased assesment of whether it went right or wrong. There is also detailed description of Tesco's ever evolving segmentation strategy.

Also its amazing how Tesco links its Direct Marketing, Internet
Marketing (esp the My Favorites), and tradional store marketing to the card database and also follows the "keep-it-simple-stupid" philosophy. One of the con's of this book it that it often contains quotes from people which do not convey anything and that it really does not cover the loyalty program outside of UK.

Overall this a must read if you really want an insight into how loyalty cards can be much much more than a piece of plastic both to the retailer and the shopper.

The future of marketing
Excellent book
As a Marketing Graduate student we have had to read countless books into what the future holds, what the trends are, and how to become more successful in making relevant and valuable propositions for our clients. After a while you see how some books and ideas just run into each other with out making new contributions to the field

Scoring Points helps break that mold.

Clive Humby tells the story of how Tesco has managed to become one of the most successful retailers in the world, and not just talking about the high level conceptual thinking that marketers dream about, but actually performing and executing on those high end ideas.

key points; get to know your customers, Essential customer genius, great insights and one to one marketing on steroids. ... Read more

Book Description

Help your employees to excel in dealing with the public with this stimulating, fun-filled collection of customer service training games.Designed not only to teach important skills but also to spark enthusiasm and a high level of involvement in the participants, these games utilize entertaining and instructive techniques such asrole-playing, charades, brainstorming, and debate. As a result of these exercises, employees will learn how to create a rapport with the customer, how to focus on the unique needs of individual customers, how to maintain a positive attitude, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Excellent Reference
Looking for ways to spice up a Customer Service Training Workshop and still get the message across? This book can help. I was able to have my CSR's rolling in the aisles with some of these Training Games. Yet in debriefing, the message was passed across. Whether you are seeking to train the CSR's voice or Telephone Manners you'll find a Training Game to do it.

A perfect help to train customer focus
This book contains many easy-to-deliver games that really help a trainer to keep customer service (and sales) reps focussed on those things that really matter in the various phases of customer contact. Me as a fact-oriented consultant have no problem using the exercises and they help me to initiate discussion without having to "feed" the theory to the participants first. My personal favourite is the Tennis Shoe Alien game which is real fun and gives a different view of things we consider so "easy" and "basic" that we do not pay much attention to them anymore.

Must have for trainer!
This book is absolutely wonderful. It has so many fresh, fun ideas to add impact and value to a training session. I am going to get a lot of use out of it.

Customer service is for everyone!
How can you inspire and rejuvenate your workforce? For supervisors who need to motivate their teams to provide excellent customer service, or for trainers in the workplace, this under-$20 book will be welcome.

As a career counselor, I deal with people who are burned out and depressed by their work situations. By feeding clients manageable exercises that they can take back to work, I can see creativity born of empowerment that can make a difference. Even if/when they decide to change jobs, accomplishment in customer service are those which the new employer will want to hear about.

Addressing the dynamics of employees dealing with both internal and external customers, there are many ten-minute exercises, appropriate for new employee orientation, warm-ups for staff meetings, or launches for all-day training times.

Carlaw and Deming have done a fine job of providing practical hints and easy-to-reproduce hand-outs without overloading the reader with theory.

The big book of customer service training games
This book will add an element of fun and education about customer service to any meeting. The games that the book can be applied to any service industry no matter how big or small. As customer service is an emphasis in my organization, this book provided me with a tool to reinforce every aspect of customer service to the people who are directly providing it. The book is simple to follow and allows for quick and easy activities. The objectives are clear and the activities are fun. I have put together 13 quick games that will be done at staff meetings and can be used with all departments. The big book of customer service training games is not just for new employees but can be revitalizing to all employees (no matter how long they have worked for you!). ... Read more

Book Description

The One to One Future revolutionized marketing when it was first published. Then considered a radical rethinking of marketing basics, this bestselling book has become today's bible for marketers. Now finally available in paperback, this completely revised and updated edition--with an all-new User's Guide--takes readers step-by-step through the latest strategies needed for any business to compete, and succeed, in the Interactive Age.

Most businesses follow time-honored mass-marketing rules of pitching their products to the greatest number of people. However, selling more goods to fewer people is not only more efficient but far more profitable. The One to One Future is a radically innovative business paradigm focusing on the share of customer--one customer at a time--rather than just the share of market.

Authors Don Peppers and Martha Rogers reveal one to one strategies to:

* Find the 20 percent--or 2 percent--of your own customers and prospects who are the most loyal and who offer the biggest opportunities for future profit;

* Collaborate with each customer, one at a time, just as you now work with individual suppliers or marketing partners;

* Nurture your relationships with each customer by relying on new one to one media vehicles--not just the mail, but the fax machine, the touch-tone phone, voice mail, cell phones, and interactive television.

Leading-edge companies such as MCI, Lexus, Levi Strauss, and Nissan Canada, and thousands of smaller enterprises, have already adopted the one-to-one perspective. The strategies outlined in this book work just as well--often even better--for small companies, from two-person accounting firms to flower shops to furniture stores. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Marketing Strategies for the Future
Clear and well-written exploration of market share approach to marketing versus the one-to-one approach to marketing. Explained well, and backed up with solid and very applicable examples.

It's important to remember that this book prepared the way for current Internet-based/personalized approaches to marketing. To a current marketeer, it may feel a bit dated (many of the examples are dependent on using snail mail and fax machines) but it given how many large IT projects are centered around database marketing, it's worthwhile reading for a lot of professionals and technical workers who may be missing part of the point of the systems they're developing.

Plan for the new marketing future with this book
This book helps bury mass marketing and even writes the tombstone "killed by relationship marketing." Chapter by chapter, this book spells out how to market to your customers instead of marketing your product. For instance, it shows you how to aim for customer share instead of market share. It is through examples that the authors show you how to win at 1:1 marketing. If you're in a competitive market or want to improve your marketing focus, read from it. Learn from it. And execute strategies from it. Neither you, your company, nor your customers will be dissapointed.

What is a "Relationship?"
Peppers and Rogers wrote a pioneering work on reaching customers, that taught marketers to look beyond "segments" to the individual people who actually bought their products or services. But they make an essential mistake in confusing the customer's familiarity with a particular business with having a relationship. Relationships exist between people who know one another, and a business relationship is one in which the customer deals with the same provider for each transaction. An example is a personal trainer you go to each time you work out, or a using the same accountant (not just the same accounting firm) for many years at tax time, or going to the same hairstylist, even following her when she moves to a new salon. These are real relationships, but phoning a catalog company and talking to a different person each time, even if that person can check your past orders and already has the billing information, is NOT a relationship.

Using technology to make a transaction more efficient can be a service to customers. People do not always seek a relationship with their provider; sometimes they want anonymity, and the idea that the provider organization "knows" all about them can be scary. Only by distinguishing between real relationships and the kind of "pseudo-relationship" that Peppers and Rogers advocate can you sort out these issues.

To learn more about the concept of "relationship" versus the more common service encounter (between customer and provider who do not know each other and do not expect to interact again), read The Brave New Service Strategy by Dr. Barbara A. Gutek and Theresa Welsh. They postulate a service model that consists of a triangle of Customer, Organization and Provider (COP).

In Search of Excellence for the Information Age
This is revolutionary stuff. Neither you or your business customers have the luxury of sticking your head in the sand on this. When you pull it out, you'll be all alone...and out of business.

An excellent book for beginners and professionals
Having spent many years in sales and marketing, and now as an author (Windows 98 and MCSE Study Tips for Dummies) and trainer/documentation specialist, I can tell you that no one has a better handle on the customer relationship building subject than Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. Following this book through several reprints and revisions, it continues to get better and better. The subject matter is complex, yet they have encapsulated it in a way that makes it easy for anyone to read and comprehend. Kudos for an excellent job! ... Read more

Book Description

How businesses can thrive by learning which customers are creating the most profit-and which are losing them money.

One of the oldest myths in business is that every customer is a valuable customer. Even in the age of high-tech data collection, many businesses don't realize that some of their customers are deeply unprofitable, and that simply doing business with them is costing them money. In many places, it's typical that the top 20 percent of customers are generating almost all the profit while the bottom 20 percent are actually destroying value. Managers are missing tremendous opportunities if they are not aware which of their customers are truly profitable and which are not.

According to Larry Selden and Geoff Colvin, there is a way to fix this problem: manage your business not as a collection of products and services but as a customer portfolio. Selden and Colvin show readers how to analyze customer data to understand how you can get the most out of your most critical customer segments. The authors reveal how some companies (such as Best Buy and Fidelity Investments) have already moved in this direction, and what customer-centric strategies are likely to become widespread in the coming years.

For corporate leaders, middle managers, or small business owners, this book offers a breakthrough plan to delight their best customers and drive shareowner value. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Make your Angel Customers Happy
We should all be aware of unprofitable Customers. Anyone in business should be already aware of the 80/20 rule - that 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers.

This book goes that one step further - by some excellent case studies it shows how 150% of your profits come from 20% of your customers - they are the Angels. The Demons are those 20% of your customers who actually lose you money equal to 150% of your profit.

Its not another book about CRM (Customer Relationship Management), but it is about being Customer-focussed rather than Product-focussed.

I have multiple relationships with Companies who could do with reading this book - including my own employer, with whom I have around 20 Contracts, and yet any one Business Unit only seems to know about 1 or 2 others at best. All those lost selling opportunities - for example they know the ages of my kids from my Travel Insurance Policies, but have never tried to sell me any College Savings Plans!

Read the book and make your Angels happier - and get rid of the Demon ones!

This is a great strategy book
This is a skillfully written, subtile and insightfull book.

I believe that the reviewer who said that "this book stated the obvious and that outside of a novice business student, anyone who finds this book interesting or useful may want to consider another profession than business" has missed the point of this book...completely.

The importance of this book is NOT in stating that "the customer is important .. some more than others". This we all know.

The importance of this book is in outlining a practical methods for ascerting which customers are money making one and which are not money making one **by going at the junction of customer marketing and customer finance**. It is by offering a practical way to relate the two perspectives (the qualitative and the quantitative one) that this book was useful to me.

The key thing I learned from this book is the introduction of detailed customer-finance reasonings to evaluate clients.

I also was greatly inspired by their concept of CUSTOMER DEAVERAGING. I too often see company that thinks in terms of their "average customers" and thereby miss any valuable & actionable insight on how to relate to their customers in a way which is both more profitable and more meaningfull (from both the customers and the client perspective).

Well for company who are like that, I think this is a GREAT book that uncovers what needs to be done in both a practical and theorically sound way.

I can testify that having applied a big part of the framework of this book to solve one strategy problem of one of my european client, we did uncover some really devishly customers (50% of their client acquisition was focusing on customers from which their will be never enough money generated to cover the initial customer acquisition expense) and some really angel ones (25% of their customer acqusition was focused on clients that represents overall 65% of their actual profit). We were also able to do some detailed financial modelling to discover that, in their specific case, they should refocus their attention on the angel customers and probably completely change their business model and value proposition for dealing with their demon ones.

If I had one critic it would be that the part relating customer oriented strategy and the stock valuation is treated without enough precision.

Having said that, I can also state the customer business I was speaking about is a recurrent one and that as a result the benefit of acquiring an angel customer goes well beyond the financial revenue derived from them in the first year. So, beyond the immediate profit improvement that are likely to results from their refocusing on the right customers this year, I anticipate this company to achieve a surge of their financial results in the following years (This hopefully will ultimately also find a reflection in their stock price...)

Behold customer centricity
We have all been frustrated in our interactions with companies that are unable to fulfill our needs. Selden's book paints in broad strokes the steps companies can take to transform themselves into truly customer centered organizations. I have found that while many companies claim to be "customer centric," it is actually impossible for them to be so because, as Seldon insightfully explains, they are not organized around customer segments, are unaware of the varying profitability of these segments, and treat customers equally.

This book should serve as a wake up call to senior executives who desire to take their companies to the next level of success. I found it compelling that the companies cited in the book that have undertaken this transformation have been greatly rewarded through increased profitability and above average stock movement.

After reading this book, I believe that executives may perceive such a reorganization to be daunting and require the use of outside consultants. However, Seldon poignantly points out that the immediacy of favorable results on a small scale will make company wide transformation quickly achievable, and produce substantially improved financial returns.

"Elementary Dr. Watson, elementary"...Garbage
What garbage! I guess if you like PLATITUDES like "mom & apple pie" you'll like this book, or if you're into the OBVIOUS that "customers are important.....some more than others" this book will be a revelation, or if you've never taken a "101 Marketing" course in college or highschool, you'll find the bromidic counsel within this simplistic book (reward good customer & turn bad customers into good customer) new or useful. However, I agree with the book reviewer above: finding practical application to such broad generalities is difficult, if not laughable.

Anyone, outside of a novice business student, that finds this book interesting or useful may want to consider another profession than business! Look for a used copy of this book on Amazon......I'm selling it cheap. How does garbage like this get published? ... Read more

Book Description

Rainmakers make the big bucks. For their companies and for themselves. Here’s how.

The rainmaker is the person who brings big clients, big money, and big deals into an organization. How do they make the rain fall? Waiting for luck won’t do, a very particular human being must get involved. Successful rainmakers are among the highest-paid employees in every company in every industry. They operate under many titles—owner, partner, sales representative, CEO, agent, managing director, and fund-raiser.

Author Jeffrey Fox is a rainmaker who knows how to talk about his gift. He pursues revenues and, in his sharp, witty style, takes you along for the ride. This hard-hitting
collection of sales and marketing stories is packed with fifty smart, no-nonsense tips that show you how to succeed with any customer.

Fox will explain the Rainmaker’s Credo, why customers don’t care about you, the six killer sales questions, why you should dare to be dumb, and why breakfast meetings bring rain. He’ll help you discover why you should never be “in a meeting,” why earthquakes don’t count, why you should sell on Friday afternoons, and other critical skills. If becoming a rainmaker is your goal—whatever your business—this program is for you.
... Read more

Reviews (41)

Making Clouds, not Rain
This short, easy read is a quick refresher course of the basic principals of selling. Mr. Fox breaks down the rainmaking, or sales execution, process into a number of sequential 'Killer Questions' designed to turn your sales target into a frienly decision maker.

As a former salesperson, I did find a number of the killer questions to be natural and direct, not pushy or canned. Mr. Fox also goes beyond simple client 'probing' and hammers at the importance of a hard days work, getting the appointment and pampering your clients once you have sold them.

I believe one should buy How to Become a Rainmaker. It is a quick read that offers enough unique material to help even the most seasoned salesperson. Will you become a rainmaker if you read this book? Nope...like every other rule in business, the rain will fall if you APPLY Mr. Fox's ideas.

Read once -- and then refer to it frequently
I was disappointed at first when I received this book. It was too small and slim to be useful, I thought. Wrong! It's full of good ideas and timely reminders for anyone who makes their living from causing and fulfilling other people's buying decisions.

As a consultant (rather than a product salesperson), some of the product-oriented advice wasn't applicable to my practice. The advice to "dollarize" customers' benefits are easier with "hard products" than they are with "soft services," but Fox does not address this challenge.

Those issues aside, I like the short but intense style, with each of the chapters taking little more than 2-3 pages (500-750 words). I remember watching a friend of mine, an antiques dealer, work with a customer. I thought, "He forgot to ask killer sales question number...," letting the customer leave the store even after expressing specific interest in purchaing an item. The book's style allows one to easily remember snippets like the six "killer sales questions" (each with its own chapter).

This is not a huckster's book, either. There's a heavy message of respect for the customer, fair dealing, not wasting time (yours OR your customer's), and attentiveness to the customer's wishes. Rainmakers thrive on relationships, not "quick kill" sales.

Fox also discusses this when addressing prospecting. He recommends prospecting a reasonably small number of targeted customers and investing time and effort in each one. PLan repeat contacts progressing toward a sale. Don't scatter your time and talents all over the board, mistaking effort for accomplishment.

"Rainmaker" is a valuable addition to my consulting library, and its compact size will make it easy to carry along with me for inspiration and recollection.

Simple minded and trite
I am sure that this book is handed out at many a company meeting. Too bad it does not have any substance to it. This book is merely a collection of stale and cliche ridden sales tips (though they have been changed enough to prevent any copyright lawsuits!). If you are looking for real sales tips, dont' buy this book. Rather, go to Google and search for sales tips. If you are a manager looking for a way to make your boss think you are motivating the troops, order this book. It might help your next review. This book is basically this year's "Who Moved my Cheese" or the fish throwing book.

just what I needed
I'm new to sales, so this book was great for me. I got a lot of help from it. I needed to sell my car among few other things, so i decided to go for this book because it didn't look like some sales bible filled with tons of information. I needed some fast information I could use right away, and this is exactly what I got from this book.

I'm guessing that to the seasoned, experienced seller this book would be waste of money and time, but for beginner who needs some fast, to the point information, it will be very helpful.

this is what you find in this book,
** customers don't care about you, but about themselves and their problems.
** Always plan your sales call, like a sports team plans their strategy. (He tells you how)
** Help them see money. Don't sell the product, sell dollorized value. People would select the product that yield lowest total cost. (I can't explain this, it'll take too much space, read the book, but this is one of the gems from the book.)
** He tells you few "killer" sales questions and explains them, very helpful.
** Don't make cold calls, don't go for "break the ice" introduction (he explains why)

get you into trouble water
Grabbed the old stuffs and merged them into a book. It was just a salad dish, not a melting pot. The segregation fully reflected Mr. Fox's inadequacies in sales. Anyway, broken pieces were broken pieces. Good needle-works could hardly conceal.

Using the words "Killer sales question" also disclosed Mr. Fox's real attitude towards customers. A sincere salesperson will not kill her/his customers with any probing question. Sales pro does mind the wordings and will choose them carefully.

Just another bogus guru. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

He says it all himself....
.
"If you're a CEO, Vice President, department head, or manager, I hope you're not just simply aware that your customers experience a countless number of clues that affect the total value they associate with your company, but also that you recognise the need to do something to begin to manage those clues with rigour. The systematic management of clues is fundamental to your future. Companies that lack it could perish, and those with it will flourish." ibid. page 236

And does Lewis Carbone tell you 'How' and 'Why', you bet he does.

An essential read for all companies that want to make it in the 21st centuary

Finally, true dedication to understandng consumers' emotions
We researchers and marketers always have known that the concept of "branding" was somehow incomplete; thankfully, Lou Carbone not only has identified the missing customer value building blocks for us, but also has given us a framework for how to put them together and ensure they stay in place. In doing so, he has succeeded at putting the customer first and foremost to an extent that never has been accomplished to date. Perhaps most importantly, Lou has demonstrated a deep commitment to understanding consumers' emotions, and to creating good feelings for them. For all of this, I applaud him.

The MUST READ Book on Customer Experience Management
Customer Experience Management is an emerging and vitally important set of principles and disciplines that should concern every enterprise, profit and non-profit alike. Until recently, however, systematic approaches to Customer Experience Management have seldom reached print. Those that have have either failed to make the case at a deep enough level to evoke change, or have failed to provide readily transferable principles.

"Clued In," by Lewis Carbone, meets both challenges brilliantly. First, as the head of a non-profit deeply concerned with the guest experience, I am well aware that the first and perhaps greatest challenge in managing the customer experience is managing change within one's own organization. "Clued In" comes to the rescue! Using compelling stories and real life case studies, Carbone illustrates why Customer Experience Management is so vital as a value proposition, and he does it in a warm and readable style that will appeal even to those who typically shy away from business books.

Second, many of the recent books and articles that discuss aspects of Customer Experience Management expect too much of the reader. Most tell stories and share principles. Yet often the stories are too remote and the principles -- when there are principles -- are too abstract to allow the reader to make immediate applications to his or her own enterprise. "Clued In" is the great exception. Carbone goes well beyond the success stories of his clients to share transferable principles that you can put to work immediately in your organization. I know, because that is precisely what we've done in ours. Within weeks of the book's publication, we were already putting "Clued In" to work within several of our teams, with inspiring results.

I have read literally everything I can get my hands on regarding Customer Experience Management. "Clued In" is the one MUST READ book in this vitally important area. I recommend it enthusiastically.

This should become a business best seller
There are so many business books with this or that approach to fixing what ails companies that it is hard to take them seriously and impossible to evaluate them all. What is sad about this is that good ideas tend to be seen in the same color of paint as the less than good ideas if they can be seen and heard at all.

This book is one of the very good ideas that should be seen, heard, and implemented. The main insight is that companies can compete more effectively by paying attention to how customers experience doing business with them. Too often companies measure what customers think about their company and its products. Mr. Carbone makes an effective case that what really matters is how the totality of the experience makes the customers feel of themselves. This is a big difference and a key insight. Companies that provide experiences that make customers feel good about themselves are going to have happy and repeat customers.

This book provides how companies can gather, measure, and use the clues customers provide through their interactions with the purchasing experience. The author discusses the methods necessary for implementing the steps necessary to take advantage of what was learned in the marketplace.

Mr. Carbone is wise enough to know that getting "Clued In" is not easy, nor is it a panacea. It is, however, an important tool for competing effectively. He also points out that what is a surprise and delight today may become the standard of delivery tomorrow and new clues must be gathered and implemented to gain a competitive advantage.

This isn't a long book, but it does offer substance for thought and action. I recommend it.

An Essential Guide To Customers' Motivations
This book is an introduction to the work of Lou Carbone, a man at the forefront of the exploration of customer experience as a value proposition. Carbone's big idea is that every business/organization creates customer experiences, either intentionally or unintentionally. And that those companies/organizations that take a structured and disciplined approach to creating positive experiences will have a huge competitive advantage over those with a haphazard approach. This book is easy to read, full of interesting facts and stories about how to do it right -- and wrong. I've had a business relationship with Carbone's company -- Experience Engineering -- which has a decade of success heping companies deliver value-creating experiences. This book, and the company's new website, are a great introduction to an important, exciting business discipline. Worth every penny! I'd give it five stars, but I'm saving that for Carbone's second book! ... Read more

Book Description

How to capture customers by learning to think the way they do

The most common complaint Bill Stinnett hears from his corporate clients is that would-be vendors and suppliers "just don't understand our business." In Think Like Your Customer, Stinnett explains why the key to landing corporate customers is to learn to think about the things executives and business owners think about and understand how they make complex buying decisions.

Drawing upon his years of experience as a Fortune 500 consultant, he offers sales and marketing professionals a powerful framework for understanding the inner workings of a business; knowing what motivates its executives and influences their buying decisions; identifying a company's organizational structure and decision-making psychology; and using that information to develop a winning strategy for influencing how and why the customer buys.

In addition, you receive:

• Solid marketing insights delivered in a fun, breezy style by a top corporate consultant and seminar leader
• Expert tips on how to maximize the value and profitability of relationships with corporate clients and customers

Book Description

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SOLUTION SELLING

The program that is revolutionizing highend selling, by showing companies how to "clone" their top sales performers

CEOs would pay anything to replicate their best salespeople; CustomerCentric Selling^TM explains instead how to replicate their skills. It details a repeatable, scalable, and transferable sales process that formats the questions that superior salespeople ask, and then uses the results to influence and enhance the words and behaviors of their colleagues.

CustomerCentric Selling^TM shows salespersons how to differentiate themselves and their offerings by appealing to customer needs, steering away from making one-way presentations and toward having meaningful and goal-oriented conversations. Currently offered in workshops and seminars around the world, its program provides step-by-step directions to help sales professionals:

• Transform sales calls into interactive conversations
• Position their offerings in relation to buyer needs
• Facilitate a more consistent customer experience
• Achieve shorter sales cycles
• Integrate sales and marketing into a cooperative, cross-functional team

CustomerCentric Selling^TM details a trademarked sales process that incorporates dozens of elements, skills, and sequences into a coherent and proven methodology. By teaching a specific yet innovative model for selling big ticket, often-intangible products and services, it shows sales professionals and executives how to make the seller-buyer relationship far less adversarial, and take selling to a higher level.

Reviews (14)

Diagnose Before You Prescribe
The concepts contained in this book are not new. Their presentation, however, is.

The authors outline why people buy -- and when and from whom. It should be required reading prior to the creation of any business plan. Although the word "selling" in the title, but this book more of a business manual is a really a business book more than it is a sales manual.

There are no clever opening lines, or guaranteed PowerPoint templates. If you spend time with the book you will gain much more-an understanding of what you sell, to whom you should be selling it and where to go to find them.If your managers read it, they will develop a new a concept of how to message and manage their sales process.

Bosworth and Holland believe customer centric selling contains seven basic concepts:
1. Sales are based on conversations, not presentations.
2. Asking relevant questions versus rendering opinions.
3. Solutions rather than relationships earn buyers' respect.
4. Target businesspeople versus users.
5. Sell usage, not reliance.
6. Salespeople manage managers rather than needing to be managed.
7. Enable buyers rather than selling them.

Managers and Salespeople who spent time with this book will add value to their organizations. If you are responsible for moving product, this book is a must read.

Long awaited & satisfies!
I successfully relied on Mike Bosworth's methodology for decades as I sold "disruptive" technologies. Now a Sales and Marketing EVP, my staff, I and our customers are ready for a change.

The people who make the buy decisions now, the motivations, and every stage of the process has shifted. Buyers are more savvy. This is both a plus (it's no longer disruptive technology, but core) and a negative (because they've been burned).

These changes are met head-on in this book with practical advice that can be implemented immediately from my newbies to my seasoned reps and marketers. I'm making this text required reading for my whole staff. It helps us migrate from traditional marketing and selling to what works in today's more sophisticated environment.

Must-read for all sales & marketing people
When you know you're good and want to learn how to become great, drop what you're doing now and read this book. Co-authors Holland and Boswoth pull you up by the shorthairs to show you how to excel.

Refreshing approach to complex sales
In this book you can find a refreshing approach in order to create new opportunities to sell.
Showing how to detect the capabilities your current prospect needs in order to reach his goals you can advance in the sales process without the pain and stress that all profesional sales people suffer.
The steps that Customer Centric Selling offer can help you to clarify your real chances to close a deal and this way focus your time, efforts and resources in the prospect where you can add more value.

Required reading for execs
As reviewed in our January 6, 2004 issue:

Let's cut to the chase: This is the best book on sales we've read in many, many years.

"CustomerCentric Selling" doesn't break new ground with sales tricks and techniques; rather, its strength is in the fact that it ties sales, marketing, and business imperatives together in a way that has the potential to turn conventional selling approaches on their collective ears.

In fact, there's a bit of a paradox here: If you're a dyed-in-the-wool software sales rep with a quota to meet or beat, you may be disappointed in this book, because you won't find any magic bullets you can employ to meet your month-end number.

If you are that beleaguered sales rep, you may even find yourself annoyed with Bosworth and Holland, because their message is that your obsession with quotas is misguided. That's easy for them to say, right? They don't have a sales VP banging them on the head every Monday morning.

But that's exactly the point: If you're that rep, get your sales VP to read "CustomerCentric Selling" Better yet, get the company's CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, VP marketing, investors, and board of directors to read it.

"CustomerCentric Selling" does such a superb job of outlining why people buy -- and when and from whom -- it should be required reading prior to the creation of any business plan.

Yes, it has the word "selling" in the title, but this book is a really a business book more than it is a sales manual.

Bosworth and Holland won't give you 15 clever opening lines for telesales, or 12 terrific PowerPoint templates. But they will help you understand what it is that you're selling, whom you should be selling it to, where you should find them, and how you can refine and manage the messaging as well as the sales process.

In other words: Read this book when you're ready to stop screwing around. Read this book when you've realized that selling to early adopters isn't really selling, it's order-taking. Read this book if you're tired of acting as referee between marketing and sales.

Although "CustomerCentric Selling" isn't written specifically to software people, the fact that the authors have spent most of their lives with technology companies permeates every page. Because it applies a sales perspective to Geof Moore's chasm concepts, the relevance for software companies is very high indeed. ... Read more

Book Description

First published in 1995, The Nordstrom Way is a classic guide to great customer service. This new book replaces The Nordstrom Way with an even more practical guide to becoming the “Nordstrom” of your industry. Designed for customer service managers and trainers, as well as business owners, it’s an invaluable resource for designing your own programs and initiatives. The authors not only explain the principles of the world’s best customer service company, they also show you how to implement them in your own organization. The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence will help your business make customers its number one concern, and help make your business number one in your industry. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Maybe the worst tech book ever
As stated in a previous review, there are publishing errors that unforgivable. For instance layout problems make Chapter 6 almost unreadable.

I got to page 62 before reading anything worthwhile. I could go on. . .

I had grown to distrust this publisher, and now I remember why.

Book needed more beta testing
If you are looking at Microsoft CRM, this book does give a decent overview of some portions of the product. But in areas where additional assistance could really be beneficial (like customizing the application to work with other web apps), it is often much too brief. It does a very poor job of explaining detailed technical configuration tasks, settling instead for common sense advice about working witht users to make sure they accept the solution. A third of the chapters adress just general CRM topics, not anything specific to the Microsoft product.

At its best, the book will point out some areas where Microsoft dropped the ball, such as no ability to validate state abbreviations. But there are too few of these warnings and they are scattered sporadically about the book making it of limited use in evaluating the product.

At its worst, the book has a large number of printing errors that the most basic proofreading effort should have caught. Many diagrams are missing or do not appear with the correct caption. This makes some portions of the book very difficult to comprehend.

In short, this book has been of some value to me because it has improved my understanding of this product. But this book falls far short of being a definitive guide to the software and the sloppy mistakes are irritating.

Excellent Microsoft CRM reference
Special Edition - Using Microsoft CRM covers Microsoft CRM from basic functionality through the most complex concepts including workflow, configuration, customization and the Great Plains integration. The book also has a lot of good content on general customer relationship management concepts. The customization chapter includes real examples of using the CRM SDK to customize Microsoft CRM and the book's CD includes accompanying code samples. This book is required reading for anyone implementing Microsoft CRM.

Promises a lot and delivers very little
This book has been hyped up as being the definitive text for Microsoft CRM. In reality it delivers very little. While offering more than the dummies guide to CRM any user can gain more insight into the application using the docs supplied with CRM such as the implementation guide and also just by using the application

Still waiting for an intermediate to advanced text on Microsoft CRM

An invaluable introduction ideal for with shows sales
Special Edition Using Microsoft CRM by Microsoft expert Laura Brown is an invaluable introduction ideal for with shows sales, service, and business development specialists with respect to just how to manage small businesses with the sophisticated technology that, until now, has been largely reserved for large corporations with copiously funded resources. Based on Laura Brown's real-world experience building CRM systems, Special Edition Using Microsoft CRM provides all of the expert advice that any MS CRM user would need. ... Read more

Book Description

Can You Really Get Paid to Shop?If you are looking for a flexible, fun way to make extra money, mystery shopping may be for you! You can get paid to shop, eat in restaurants, get your hair cut, go to the movies and more . . . and Cathy Stucker will show you how.

This newly updated and expanded edition of the industry-favorite guide is jammed with tips and insider knowledge from mystery shopping companies. Both beginners and experienced mystery shoppers will become better, more successful shoppers with the information in this manual, including:

o Why businesses are willing to pay you to shop.

o A step-by-step plan to get started.

o Who hires mystery shoppers and how to contact them.

o What to do--and what not to do--when working with mystery shopping companies.

o Tips for shopping "undercover" without being discovered.

o What you should say in your reports and how to say it.

o How to get more mystery shopping assignments and how to get the best assignments. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Don't "Shop" until you "Drop" the money for this book!
For someone who wants to cut through the hype and get to the nitty-gritty of mystery shopping, Cathy Stucker's "The Mystery Shopper's Manual (5th Edition) is the book for you.

I've been mystery shopping for three years now, and Cathy's book provided the information I needed to get started. None of the -"Get rich mystery shopping!"scams, or attempts to sell mystery shopping as a way to make easy money with little or no skills required--- graces the pages of this book. Not to mention the come-ons (I get e-mails daily on these) that promise that mystery shoppers keep designer clothes, eat in five-star restaurants or take home merchandise worth hundreds of dollars.

Her advice is sound (based on years of experience as a mystery shopper herself) and you know within a few pages that she knows that she's talking about! She views mystery shopping as a profession and offers practical advice to those who might want to get in the business as well as for those who already are. She points out common mistakes that shopper make, how to contact people who hire mystery shoppers, and how to get the prime assignments. Her book even features a mystery shopper application. Very helpful for someone who wants know exactly what are the requirements needed to become a mystery shopper.

In short, The Mystery Shopper Manual is a "how to" book written by someone who "did" it. And "does" it. Cathy continues to mystery shop and passes on what she has learned over the years.

On a personal note here: In August 2003 I attended the "Mystery Shopper Gold Certification Workshop" in Seattle and was surprised (and delighted)when I saw that it was Cathy who had developed the Mystery Shopping Providers Association workbook that I was holding in my hand.

A perfect match, I thought. The Mystery Shopping Provider Association having Cathy Stucker as spokeswoman as well has having her author the manual that was used as the "Bible" for the conference.

If you're serious about pursuing mystery shopping as a legitimate part-time income opportunity, I do believe that this is the book for you!

Great Info and Tons of Leads
This book made it so easy to get started--All the mystery shopping leads will keep me busy for a long time.I like that the information comes straight from mystery shopping companies, so I know that it's true.
The Action Plan, which outlined what I needed to do, step-by-step, was especially useful.Beth O'Malley

Perfect book for new mystery shoppers!
This book is very informative and I can attest to most of its accuracy. I have been mystery shopping for National Shopping Service for years and love it. They have some really fun mystery shopping opportunities and the pay is pretty good. This would be a great company to get started with as they are very big and have a ton of clients. You can sign up online on their website at http://www.nationalshoppingservice.com.

No real information
This book is over priced. There is nothing in it that can't be found for free by doing a basic search just using the words "mystery shopping"

Substantive, realistic and helpful
I read this book out of curiosity about what mystery shoppers do and who hires them. Cathy Stucker offers real-world knowledge about what mystery shoppers do, how to get such work, what you can expect in the way of earnings and much, much more. The book is also attractive and well-written and even includes an easy-to-use directory of companies looking for mystery shoppers. ... Read more

Book Description

"If you work with the affluent, you will most certainly benefit from Matt's work. This book is a must-read!"
—Ray Scalfani, Managing Director, AllianceBernstein

"Specific, thoughtful, supported with evidence and practical, it deserves to be read and reread by salespeople targeting the affluent."
—George W. Dudley, scientist/author, Coauthor, The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance: Earning What You're Worth in Sales

"Oechsli's book is an ideal road map if you want to reach the affluent and become affluent. . . . I highly recommend it."
—Rich Santos, Group Publisher, Primedia Business Magazines & Media

"Nobody knows more about the affluent market than Matt Oechsli. His research is impeccable, and his strategies are real-world. They work!"
—Bill Cates, President, Referral Coach International

"Matt Oechsli's The Art of Selling to the Affluent is specific, practical, supported by the latest independent research, and will help anyone attempting to market their services to the affluent."
—Ron Carson, Senior Vice President, LPL, President, Peak Productions

"Matt Oechsli's well-documented work will become the primary source for selling to the affluent. Fail to read this at your own risk."
—Bill Brooks, author, The New Science of Selling and Persuasion

"Matt has done it again. His combination of research with practical how-tos has created a must-read book for anyone working with the affluent."
—Steve Binder, Regional President, Wachovia Securities

"Anyone actively applying the methodology and techniques learned from Matt will become as affluent as the affluent they serve—so be warned!"
—Paul W. Chan, CFP, CPA, ChFc, CLU, CEO, S&P NewWorth Advisors, Malaysia ... Read more

Book Description

Sales legend Bill Cates uses his experience and expert knowledge to show sales professionals how to work smarter (not harder) by employing "The Four Cornerstones of Referrals" --relationship building and customer service, creating referral alliances and networks, prospecting, and targeting niche markets. Using Cates's easy-to-master referral-based selling techniques, readers:

• Work less and earn more by getting existing customers to work for them generating high-quality referrals
• Turn every business contact into a relationship and every relationship into a sales success story

Reviews (8)

Thumbs up!
"Get More Referrals Now" offers practical techniques on how to meet qualified prospects. It has had a measurable impact helping us identify new business relationships and increase revenue. I highly recommend this book.

Buy this book now!
This straightforward and down-to-earth book provided me with the strategic advice I needed on how to change the way I do business, and it's made all the difference in generating quality leads that produce faster and easier sales. There's no mumbo-jumbo; just great ideas you can put to use right away.

Every chapter has real-life examples of Bill's concepts in action, and there's absolutely no doubt in my mind anyone looking to grow their business should read this book. With the results I've gotten I consider Bill a silent partner in my business, and I constantly refer back to this book when I have a problem to solve or need a new idea.

Buy this book now!

Your #1 Marketing Strategy
Almost everyone in business will acknowledge that the best way to gain new business is through referrals. Bill explains in easy-to-understand terms exactly how to transform your existing customers and clients into your business advocates. Most importantly, Bill shows us how to accomplish this without fear and in a manner that actually strengthens your customer relationships. This book is not just for sales people either, anyone in the organization that interacts with your customers should read this book.

Great book with many applications
This is a great book, and a wonderful sales tool. I personally believe that relationships are the key to success; especially job-hunting success, which this book is fully applicable. The reason is simple, when you are job hunting you are selling yourself, and you need referrals since most jobs are filled because someone knew someone. This book will help you get you the referrals necessary to land a great job. If you need job ideas you may want to invest in "How to find your dream job and make it a reality: solutions for a rewarding and meaningful career" by Jason McClure.

If you are job seeker Jason's book makes a wonderful companion to this book. If you are not job seeker, than this book stands on its own merit. Invest in this book today and you will not regret it.

The Perfect Sales Guide
This book is considered one of the best books in business, for many reasons. The subject itself (sales & marketing field) suggests a smart choice from the author working on the right track, that all businesses need this book and this subject either to fix their sales practices (if they aren't achieving targets) or to improve them (if they are achieving them).
Authors (W. R. Cates, Bill Cates) could successfully deliver and represent their practical experience in a simple, straight forward, to the point, attractive language to the audience to make the best use of the scientific material in the book.
As the title suggests, the book emphasizes on The Four Cornerstones That Turn Business Relationships Into Gold. The subject sounds redundant at first sight, but actually the treatement is new and different. The idea concentrates on the quality, not the quantity (how to work smarter, not harder and how to work less and earn more). The book is really good and going to help you alot no doubt. ... Read more

Book Description

Most businesses spend far too much of their time and energy struggling to get new customers or hang on to existing ones—even customers who are ultimately more trouble than they’re worth. Attracting Perfect Customers invites readers to move beyond the notions that "business is war" and winning market share means "beating" the other guy. The authors outline a simple strategic process for making businesses so highly attractive that perfect customers and clients are naturally drawn right to them.Sound too good to be true? Hall and Brogniez have successfully shown clients how to do it for years, and now they share their secrets. They prove that it is no longer productive or profitable to conduct business using the war-like marketing techniques of targeting customers and outmaneuvering the competition. In fact, these techniques seem antiquated and labor-intensive when compared to the Strategic Attraction Planning process, which requires just five minutes each day and enables any business to easily attract customers that are a perfect fit for their organization—the kind of customers it is a pleasure to serve. Attracting Perfect Customers takes you step by step through the entire strategic attraction process. The authors reveal the six success standards of strategic synchronicity and share simple, fun, and easy-to-follow exercises that can be applied to any organization. They walk you through the process of creating your own personalized Strategic Attraction Plan and provide 21 supportive tips for making any company more attractive to its perfect customers. Attracting Perfect Customers will take you to a place where there is an abundance of perfect customers and clients with whom you can build strong, satisfying, profitable, and lasting relationships. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Attracting Perfection in Life!!!!!
I have found this book to be powerfully amazing. I'm using it to attract foster parents to my organization and the results are phenominal.

It's also a little wild - I've started to attract perfect sales people too.

The Enlightened 80/20 Rule Approach to Doing Business!
I've had a few weeks to let this book sink in and I must say that I'm very impressed with what these authors have written. Basing a business approach on the Law of Attraction may seem a little new-agey to some hardened business people. But a great gift of the New Age thinkers is the betterment of our society and living with integrity.

Being a former business owner (and present-day self-help author), I can really appreciate the concept of attracting the best customers and the best employees. The recommended strategy of finding out what makes people tick, looking for room for improvement, finding out what others expect of you, and having more than one plan are clearly defined in the "Strategic Attraction Process."

These authors understand another gift of New Age thinking and that is the concept of manifesting results. That starts with ideas, thinking, attitudes, identities, standards and beliefs. This foundation is thoroughly covered in the "6 Standards of Strategic Synchonicity."

But my favorite part of the book is where they talk about the "21 Daily Tips." Here is a simple treasure chest of ideas for stimulating the attraction process. Some enlightened goodies include:

* Let your perfect customer know they are perfect
* Expect breakthroughs to look like breakdowns
* Share, share, and share yourself
* Break bread with a competitor
* Accept that you don't know
* Make irresistible improvements

I could go on and on about this book. It all boils down to approaching business from a higher place and enjoying the benefits of giving your passion to the value you produce.

Becoming an enlightened business person is a great way to live your passion! This book certainly helps in your quest.

This book delivers on its promise!
It's hard for me to put into words how much this book has changed my life. By decalring exactly who I wanted my perfect customers to be, I attract them to me. More rewarding than the increased sales is the fact that I get to truly be myself in my work, and get more cliens, respect, and money doing so. What could be more perfect than that?

Full of fluff
I was very attracted to the title of this book, but I could not find anything in it that was fresh, helpful or concrete. The tone of the book is cloying and New Age-ish. And to top it off, the book ends with 18 pages of advertising for the authors' friends and colleagues. All in all, a HUGE disappointment.

Great for attracting
This book reminds you of what is important, what to stay focused on and what to keep yourself occupied with. They have a great reminder system. I truly enjoyed this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for The Firm of the Future

"In The Firm of the Future, Paul Dunn and Ron Baker create an intellectual challenge for firm leaders. They are truly two of the best critical thinkers today. Together they provide the reader with a wealth of thought-provoking ideas. This is an intellectual masterpiece."
–August J. Aquila, PhD
Managing Director, American Express Tax and Business Services
Coauthor, CPAs That Sell and CPA Firm Merger Strategies That Work

"Paul Dunn and Ron Baker have done it again. Living up to their reputation for challenging conventional wisdom, Dunn and Baker present a new paradigm for the professions to understand the dynamic forces at play in the professional practice of the twenty-first century. The Firm of the Future is a brilliant work that adds a new dimension to the old formula for success in a professional service firm. Dunn and Baker clearly lay out a new road map to help leaders understand the differences between leveraging people and leveraging knowledge; between billing for time and pricing for value; and between doing things right and doing the right things. This new paradigm for the firm of the future will help professionals more accurately plan and structure their firm in a way that acknowledges and capitalizes on today’s marketplace, technological opportunities, customer expectations, and human capital needs. Any practice leader who wants to ensure success for their organization should be compelled to read The Firm of the Future."
–Michael Platt
President and CEO, AccountingWEB ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Must reading for the professional service provider!
After reading this book, you'll need to place it alongside your desktop dictionary, Thesaruas and Ron's first book "The Professional's Guide to Value Pricing. This is how strong of an impact their message has made on me.

After reading the first two editions of Ron's book, I didn't think he would be able to improve much on the message of switching to Value Pricing. Boy, was I wrong! He and Paul Dunn have done an amazing job of getting the reader to think differently. As with the radical theme of trashing the timesheet in "The Professional's Guide to Value Pricing", they do a masterful job of convincing you why the old "Revenue Equation" must be replaced with the forward-thinking "Profit Equation". They go on to introduce other new topics not found amongst professional services firms such as developing your Intellectual, Structural and Social Capital, emphasizing effectiveness over efficiency and of course Value Pricing. As is typical of Ron's writing style, and complemented by Paul, their reasoning for making this paradigm shift is well supported and well reasoned.

I've been using practicing Value Pricing for about 5 1/2 years now and I can tell you that it works. In my own firm, I've slowly begun implementing some of their new concepts but with a new perception. I'm convinced these principles will work for me and they can for you as well.

After reading this book, you'll definitely want to keep it handy as a useful reference guide!

Old Schoolers will cringe at some of the suggestions
This book champions many of the beliefs I've held for years at working at Big 4, regional, and small public accounting firms. Mainly, that time sheets, hourly rates, billable hours, etc. is a completely misguided and outdated manner to try to capture costs and price services.

I just resgined from a firm to start my own practice. While there, I was discussing this book with one of the firm's Partners. When I suggested the radical idea of no timesheets, he replied, "how will you know the people are working." As this book effectively points out and analyzes, firms just aren't hiring the right people!

The book does get a bit redundant at times, and does put forth some ideas that seem a bit crazy (such as 100% money back gaurantees in your engagement letters if the client doesn't like the service). However, I think that overall the book does make some very excellent points. Firms that are courageous enough to make changes based on ideas generated from this book may be the "firms of the future"

Finally, despite the title, this book is for CPAs and CPA firms. Lawyers and other service providers will not get as much out of it. For those starting firms, or for those looking for ideas to improve their current firms, this book should help.

challenges the old paradigms
Paul Dunn & Ronald J Baker's new book "The Firm of the Future and the Future of the Firm" challenges the old paradigms of the professional firm and clearly shows the way forward.

Although aimed at the professional firm, the book is relevant to all service businesses.

If you attended Paul Dunn's seminars and read Ronald J Baker's books, then this will be a useful refresher. If you haven't - then oh boy what a ride! Let the journey begin.

In addition this book introduced to me the concept of Intellectual Capital, a framework that I'll certainly use in the future.

I hope my competion ignores this book!
Baker and Dunn certainly get it. This thouroughly researched and insightful book had me breaking out my highlighter, dog-earing pages, reading aloud to my wife. Firm of the Future got me fired up, and dreaming again.

Baker and Dunn occupy the same real estate on my bookshelf as George Gilder, Peter Druker,Walt Disney, Harvey MacKay, and Michael Gerber. Baker and Dunn apply the science of economics and the wisdom of GOOD BUSINESS SENSE to professional services in a way that could revolutionize the professional services industries in a dramatic fasion.

I apologize for the following trite blurb: "If there is one business book the professional must read, it's Firm of the Future" - but it is true. If you consider yourself "forward thinking" and want to regain joy from your professional service business, this is your book.

I sincerely hope that my competition avoids this book; or at best, reads it, forms a committee, and organizes a task force to look into the issues of "value billing." While my competition arrogantly holds thier client's hand, a quiet revolution will be occurring; and the customer will seek a better experience- with professionals who are forming the Firms of the Future.

I've read hundreds of business books, from the popular to the technical, economic theory, touchy-feely, to chainsaw management....This book got me excited about being a CPA again! valuable at a time when the profession is going through a credibility crisis.

Do clients want to buy hours?
Expanding on the principles discussed in Value Pricing, Ron Baker has teamed up with Paul Dunn to share their theories, insights and ideas on how professionals (in particular CPAs) view and price their services. The Firm of the Future is written around major themes and includes individual commentary from Ron and Paul.

Are you creating value for your clients and charging for the value you provide, or are you charging your clients based on the time you spend? If you are not thinking about the value you are creating for your clients, watch out! Every professional who reads this book will be thinking about the value they can add not only to their clients, but yours. What about fees? Do you think that you can match or beat my price? "Any firm can compete on price; it is truly a fool's game. In contrast, competing based on Total Quality Service, positive customer experiences, and transformations requires more thought, creativity and investment." This book could be your first investment in achieving Total Quality Service and differentiating yourself from the competition. ... Read more

Book Description

"I’ve always said that education without execution is just entertainment – and Lior illustrates this beautifully in his book. It is important to learn HOW to implement a successful Customer focus strategy and you need knowledge and process to do it well. Read this book and learn