Download or read book What s Your Customer s Problem written by Fred Wiersema and published by Pearson Education. This book was released on 2010-02-01 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Business strategist and New York Times bestselling author Fred Wiersema presents his latest insights and advice on achieving customer intimacy in a series of new, practical, digital-only guides. This one focuses on the critical importance of identifying your customers' true problem. Changes are, it’s not what you--or they--think. But it’s vital if you want to keep customers coming back, especially in these tough economic times. It was a rotting old fence around my swimming pool that drove home the power of deeply analyzing customer problems. I thought a traditional white picket fence would be perfect to replace it. The first two contractors made their measurements, discussed the materials, calculated, and gave me prices. But the third surprised me. “Why do you want a white fence? Have you ever thought about black?” He explained that a black fence would blend into the background, making the surrounding area more visible, while a white fence would make the pool area more intimate and enclosed. My wife and I had never thought about that. Next, he asked why we were replacing the old fence. I thought it was obvious: It was falling apart and needed to be repainted every few years. “Have you considered an anodized aluminum fence? It would last pretty much forever,” he said. That clinched the deal: He’d offered a better answer for needs we didn’t even realize we had.

Download or read book Pitch Perfect written by Haje Jan Kamps and published by Apress. This book was released on 2020-08-25 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You have a home-run startup idea and a whip-smart team to execute it. Everything should be in place to kick-start your company and secure funding. However, there is one more step that can make or break the entire deal: the pitch. Founders everywhere struggle to nail the perfect pitch to garner VC backing, and this book is here to help. Pitch Perfect by Haje Jan Kamps expertly teaches you how to tell your startup’s story. To raise venture capital, it is absolutely crucial that your foundation is a story that is accessible, compelling, and succinct. Kamps uses his invaluable experiential knowledge to guide you through your presentation, from slide deck specifics to storytelling details to determining a fundamental philosophy for your business. In the process of creating and formulating a pitch deck and the story to go with it, founders often discover deep flaws in their business idea. Perhaps the market is non-existent. It could be that the “problem” isn’t worth solving. Maybe the idea is so simple that it would be too easy to copy. Maybe it’s already been done, or the team simply is not up to the job. Pitch Perfect has all of those bases covered so that you can excel. How do you convince an institutional investor to part with their money and fund your company? The small block of time you are given for a pitch holds your startup’s future in its grasp. Learn how to craft your startup story in a way that will get people to lean into your message with Pitch Perfect. Your dream is only one pitch away.

Download or read book What s Your Problem written by Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg and published by Harvard Business Press. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The author makes a compelling case that we often start solving a problem before thinking deeply about whether we are solving the right problem. If you want the superpower of solving better problems, read this book." -- Eric Schmidt, former CEO, Google Are you solving the right problems? Have you or your colleagues ever worked hard on something, only to find out you were focusing on the wrong problem entirely? Most people have. In a survey, 85 percent of companies said they often struggle to solve the right problems. The consequences are severe: Leaders fight the wrong strategic battles. Teams spend their energy on low-impact work. Startups build products that nobody wants. Organizations implement "solutions" that somehow make things worse, not better. Everywhere you look, the waste is staggering. As Peter Drucker pointed out, there's nothing more dangerous than the right answer to the wrong question. There is a way to do better. The key is reframing, a crucial, underutilized skill that you can master with the help of this book. Using real-world stories and unforgettable examples like "the slow elevator problem," author Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg offers a simple, three-step method - Frame, Reframe, Move Forward - that anyone can use to start solving the right problems. Reframing is not difficult to learn. It can be used on everyday challenges and on the biggest, trickiest problems you face. In this visually engaging, deeply researched book, you’ll learn from leaders at large companies, from entrepreneurs, consultants, nonprofit leaders, and many other breakthrough thinkers. It's time for everyone to stop barking up the wrong trees. Teach yourself and your team to reframe, and growth and success will follow.

Download or read book The Complete Idiot s Guide to Great Customer Service written by Donald W. Blohowiak and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1997 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes how to create a service-oriented organization, including training customer service representatives, soothing angry customers, and understanding employee and customer motivation

Download or read book The Secret Product Manager Handbook written by Nils Davis and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-05 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Product management isn't about you and it isn't about your product. It's about solving problems for your customers, creating a solution, and taking it to market." When I started in product management, I had a lot of questions, like "What is product management?" It's a common question still, but most people don't have a good answer. After all these years, the same questions keep coming up. I see them on forums, I hear them when I talk to new and experienced product managers, and I still do not see them being answered well or usefully. So I wrote this book, with the answers to the questions I always had. You'll learn: The real reason people choose to buy a product - it's not about how "good" the product is! How to get the very best from your developers. The 5-word phrase that can accelerate sales and marketing. The best ways to talk to executives and customers about what you're building. Among other critical information, you'll find a powerful framework for thinking about product management - and even for talking to your Mom about what you do. The framework provides an infrastructure for most of The Secret Product Manager Handbook. I provide a concrete and explicit explanation of why product management is so important for businesses, including a calculation of the true business value of product management. And the book is full of specific techniques and practices for transforming your product management career. What People Are Saying "Nuggets of product management wisdom and ideas you'll want to hang on your monitor. The book is like having a conversation with a mentor." (Ken Hanson, Growth Product Manager) The summary of product management - identify market problems, guide the creation of solutions, and take the solutions to market - is powerful. As a former engineer, it's especially important to be reminded of the third point" (Frank Licea, Product Manager) "The intro is one of the clearest and smartest explanations of the value a product manager should bring to the table I've ever read." (Luca Candela, VP of Product Management)

Download or read book Questions That Sell written by Paul CHERRY and published by AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. This book was released on 2006-04-10 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simply knowing the right questions to ask can make the difference between finalizing a sale or losing it. Most salespeople have extensive knowledge of their products, but many fail to ask the questions that will help them uncover the real needs of their customers. Questions That Sell helps readers use advanced questioning techniques to sell their products based on value to the customer, not on price -- and increase their success rate as a result. The book contains powerful examples, exercises, and hundreds of sample questions, including: * Vision Questions: Tap into a customers’ needs and desires for the future * Questions to Uncover Problems: Fix something that’s not working for the client * Pay-Off Questions: Get customers to articulate for themselves how much the product or service is worth Questions That Sell is an invaluable resource for connecting with customers, understanding what they need, and closing more sales, faster.

Download or read book The 10 Immutable Laws of Power Selling The Key to Winning Sales Wowing Customers and Driving Profits Through the Roof written by James Desena and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2003-10-22 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals the secrets behind the phenomenal success of today's top sales professionals In The 10 Immutable Laws of Power Selling, leading sales consultant and trainer James DeSena reveals the secret behind the uncanny success of an elite group of sales professionals who consistently break all records, in every selling environment. DeSena shows how the most exceptional performers in the sales arena are those who act like leaders--they take the lead in meeting new challenges, and they adapt to those challenges with innovative solutions and added value for grateful customers. With the help of stories from American Express, Honeywell, The Gap, and other top companies, DeSena teaches readers: The 10 key imperatives for becoming an exceptional performer in today's selling environment How to apply the principles of leadership to win and keep loyal customers, make more sales, and earn higher commissions-- even in a recession How to identify clients' needs and create solutions to fit those needs How to build strong relationships with customers and manage those relationships for long-term success

Download or read book OPEN Question Selling Unlock Your Customer s Needs to Close the Sale by Knowing What to Ask and When to Ask It written by Val Gee and published by McNeil & Johnson. This book was released on 2007-05-24 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Build stronger relationships with customers through the OPEN Questioning technique By asking four types of questions-Operational, Problem, Effect, and Nail Down-you can address customer needs, find connections, and build the kind of relationships that enable you to close more sales. This hands-on guide shows how to use OPEN Question Selling throughout the sales process, from getting in the door to handling objections to making the close. With more than 100 sample questions and end-of-chapter exercises, you'll soon be on your way to building winning customer relationships.

Download or read book Exceptional Service Exceptional Profit written by Leonardo Inghilleri and published by AMACOM. This book was released on 2010-04-14 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What if you could protect your business against competitive inroads, once and for all? Customer service experts Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon's anticipatory customer service approach was first developed at The Ritz-Carlton as well as at Solomon's company Oasis, and has since proven itself in countless companies around the globe--from luxury giant BVLGARI to value-sensitive auto parts leader Carquest and everywhere in between. Their experience shows that the most powerful growth engine in a tight market--and best protection from competitive inroads--is to put everything you can into cultivating true customer loyalty. Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit takes the techniques that minted money for these brands and reveals how you can apply them to your own business to provide the kind of exceptional service that nearly guarantees loyalty. Soon, you'll be reaping the benefits of loyal customers who are: less sensitive to price competition, more forgiving of small glitches, and, ultimately, who are "walking billboards" happily promoting your brand. Filled with detailed, behind-the-scenes examples, Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit unlocks a new level of customer relationship that leaves your competitors in the dust, your customers coming back day after day, and your bottom line looking better than it ever has before.

Download or read book Customers are the Answer to Everything written by Martha Hanlon and published by Morgan James Publishing. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of "Customers are the Answer to Everything" is to show each individual business how they can find customers suited for them and---even better---how their ideal customers can find them. The book content is unique and appealing, and easy for any business to execute. The premise is based on the authors’ experience of working with over 2300 clients just like you. We have uncovered 9 leverages that will catapult any business into action. These leverages focus on getting customers through the door. You’ll identify the key leverages for your business. And you will be pleasantly pleased that all the leverages are either FREE or very affordable to execute. They do not require any special systems or big marketing budgets. All businesses deserve to have all the customers they want. They say it’s The Year of the Entrepreneur. We say it’s The Year of the Customer. Customers make the Entrepreneur.

Download or read book The Real Work of Data Science written by Ron S. Kenett and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-04-01 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essential guide for data scientists and for leaders who must get more from their data science teams The Economist boldly claims that data are now "the world's most valuable resource." But, as Kenett and Redman so richly describe, unlocking that value requires far more than technical excellence. The Real Work of Data Science explores understanding the problems, dealing with quality issues, building trust with decision makers, putting data science teams in the right organizational spots, and helping companies become data-driven. This is the work that spells the difference between a good data scientist and a great one, between a team that makes marginal contributions and one that drives the business, between a company that gains some value from its data and one in which data truly is "the most valuable resource." "These two authors are world-class experts on analytics, data management, and data quality; they've forgotten more about these topics than most of us will ever know. Their book is pragmatic, understandable, and focused on what really counts. If you want to do data science in any capacity, you need to read it." —Thomas H. Davenport, Distinguished Professor, Babson College and Fellow, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy "I like your book. The chapters address problems that have faced statisticians for generations, updated to reflect today's issues, such as computational Big Data." —Sir David Cox, Warden of Nuffield College and Professor of Statistics, Oxford University "Data science is critical for competitiveness, for good government, for correct decisions. But what is data science? Kenett and Redman give, by far, the best introduction to the subject I have seen anywhere. They address the critical questions of formulating the right problem, collecting the right data, doing the right analyses, making the right decisions, and measuring the actual impact of the decisions. This book should become required reading in statistics and computer science departments, business schools, analytics institutes and, most importantly, by all business managers." —A. Blanton Godfrey, Joseph D. Moore Distinguished University Professor, Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University

Download or read book They Ask You Answer written by Marcus Sheridan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-08-06 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The revolutionary guide that challenged businesses around the world to stop selling to their buyers and start answering their questions to get results; revised and updated to address new technology, trends, the continuous evolution of the digital consumer, and much more In today’s digital age, the traditional sales funnel—marketing at the top, sales in the middle, customer service at the bottom—is no longer effective. To be successful, businesses must obsess over the questions, concerns, and problems their buyers have, and address them as honestly and as thoroughly as possible. Every day, buyers turn to search engines to ask billions of questions. Having the answers they need can attract thousands of potential buyers to your company—but only if your content strategy puts your answers at the top of those search results. It’s a simple and powerful equation that produces growth and success: They Ask, You Answer. Using these principles, author Marcus Sheridan led his struggling pool company from the bleak depths of the housing crash of 2008 to become one of the largest pool installers in the United States. Discover how his proven strategy can work for your business and master the principles of inbound and content marketing that have empowered thousands of companies to achieve exceptional growth. They Ask, You Answer is a straightforward guide filled with practical tactics and insights for transforming your marketing strategy. This new edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the evolution of content marketing and the increasing demands of today’s internet-savvy buyers. New chapters explore the impact of technology, conversational marketing, the essential elements every business website should possess, the rise of video, and new stories from companies that have achieved remarkable results with They Ask, You Answer. Upon reading this book, you will know: How to build trust with buyers through content and video. How to turn your web presence into a magnet for qualified buyers. What works and what doesn’t through new case studies, featuring real-world results from companies that have embraced these principles. Why you need to think of your business as a media company, instead of relying on more traditional (and ineffective) ways of advertising and marketing. How to achieve buy-in at your company and truly embrace a culture of content and video. How to transform your current customer base into loyal brand advocates for your company. They Ask, You Answer is a must-have resource for companies that want a fresh approach to marketing and sales that is proven to generate more traffic, leads, and sales.

Download or read book Be Your Customer s Hero written by Adam Toporek and published by AMACOM. This book was released on 2015-04-22 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the front lines of customer service, every day presents new and unexpected challenges—and even the most dedicated employees can be caught unprepared. They need confidence. They need training. They need help. Those who work on the front lines of customer service never know what new and unexpected challenges await them each day. But they do know one thing--they will be needed. But how can you prepare for the unexpected? How can customer service reps get the training and confidence required to tackle the unknown? In Be Your Customer’s Hero, internationally recognized customer service expert Adam Toporek provides the answers to preparing for the surprises awaiting the CSR. Through short, simple, actionable advice, in quick, easy-to-read chapters, this invaluable guide shows customer-facing CSRs how to: Achieve the mindset required for Hero-ClassTM service Understand the customer’s expectations--and exceed them Develop powerful communication skills Avoid the seven triggers guaranteed to set customers off Handle difficult and even irrational customers with ease Armed with the tools and techniques in Be Your Customer’s Hero, you will have all they need to transform themselves into the heroes their customers need.

Download or read book Getting Clients and Keeping Clients for Your Service Business written by M. D. Weems and published by Atlantic Publishing Company. This book was released on 2007-04 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many books are written on how to attract more business for retail stores or new products, but this is the only book written for the small business service provider. Whether you are an attorney, doctor, accountant, consultant, personal trainer, insurance agent, Web or computer consultant, graphic designer, dentist, landscape or pool caretaker, professional cleaner, wedding planner, tree trimmer, caterer, or pet sitter, this book is for you. The truth is unless you keep a steady stream of clients coming through your doors, you will never be as successful as you would really like to be. If you're great at working with clients and you do an excellent job of providing your services, you have the capability to turn your service business into a highly profitable firm, easily. If you are like most small business service providers, getting and keeping new clients is hard work and takes up most of your time. And it is a big challenge. Yet this was not the reason you went into business. You went into business to assist your customers and make a financially rewarding business for yourself. This new book will guide you back to your original goals for going into business while making your life easier. Developing a low-cost proven marketing system doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming. This book details the principles and practices of marketing for the professional service business. In 30 days or less, you will be so successful in attracting all the business you will ever need that you can select the clients you want to serve. This specialized book will demonstrate methodically how to market and promote your services easily, inexpensively, and most important profitably. You will learn how to find new business clients quickly and keep existing ones satisfied by selling client based solutions and services by putting technology and low-cost marketing devices into place that take little or no time on your part. You will learn to develop a marketing plan with hundreds of practical marketing ideas to help successful service providers attract new clients and increase business with existing ones. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

Download or read book Strategic Planning For Dummies written by Erica Olsen and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-03-03 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you’re starting a new business or planning your business’s future, there are plenty of things you should take into account. Strategic Planning For Dummies covers everything you need to know to develop a plan for building and maintaining a competitive advantage — no matter what business you’re in. Written by Erica Olsen, founder and President of a business development firm that helps entrepreneurial-minded businesses plan for a successful future, this handy guide covers all the basics, including: How a strategic plan is different than a business plan Establishing a step-based planning process Planning for and encouraging growth Taking a long-view of your organization Evaluating past performance Defining and refining your mission, values, and vision Sizing up your current situation Examining your industry landscape Setting your strategic priorities Planning for unknown contingencies If you’re in business, you have to plan for everything — especially if you intend your business to grow. Whether you’re planning for a small business, large conglomerate, nonprofit, or even a government agency, this book has the planning specifics you need for your organization. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how to lay the foundations for a plan, understand how your plan will affect your business, form planning teams, discover what your strengths are, see where you are, and, finally, plan where you’re going. And there’s much more: Learn to analyze business trends that will determine your business’s future Set measurable, realistic goals that you can plan for and achieve Make strategic planning a habitual part of the organization Prioritize multiple strategies that you can implement simultaneously Set a defining vision for the organization that guides all your planning and strategy This friendly, simple guide puts the power of strategic planning in the palm of your hand. For small businesses that can’t afford to hire strategic planning consultants, it’s even more imperative. Careful, constant planning is the only way to handle an uncertain business future. With this book, you’ll have all the step-by-step guidance you need to ensure you’re ready for anything that comes.

Download or read book The Innovator s Method written by Nathan Furr and published by Harvard Business Review Press. This book was released on 2014-08-19 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever come up with an idea for a new product or service but didn’t take any action because you thought it would be too risky? Or at work, have you had what you thought could be a big idea for your company—perhaps changing the way you develop or distribute a product, provide customer service, or hire and train your employees? If you have, but you haven’t known how to take the next step, you need to understand what the authors call the innovator’s method—a set of tools emerging from lean start-up, design thinking, and agile software development that are revolutionizing how new ideas are created, refined, and brought to market. To date these tools have helped entrepreneurs, designers, and software developers manage uncertainty—through cheap and rapid experiments that systematically lower failure rates and risk. But many managers and leaders struggle to apply these powerful tools within their organizations, as they often run counter to traditional managerial thinking and practice. Authors Nathan Furr and Jeff Dyer wrote this book to address that very problem. Following the breakout success of The Innovator’s DNA—which Dyer wrote with Hal Gregersen and bestselling author Clay Christensen to provide a framework for generating ideas—this book shows how to make those ideas actually happen, to commercialize them for success. Based on their research inside corporations and successful start-ups, Furr and Dyer developed the innovator’s method, an end-to-end process for creating, refining, and bringing ideas to market. They show when and how to apply the tools of their method, how to adapt them to your business, and how to answer commonly asked questions about the method itself, including: How do we know if this idea is worth pursuing? Have we found the right solution? What is the best business model for this new offering? This book focuses on the “how”—how to test, how to validate, and how to commercialize ideas with the lean, design, and agile techniques successful start-ups use. Whether you’re launching a start-up, leading an established one, or simply working to get a new product off the ground in an existing company, this book is for you.

Download or read book Why Startups Fail written by Tom Eisenmann and published by Currency. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.