Today when the competition, technology, and the economy are evolving faster than ever before, organizations and the people like us who work in them need a proven approach to help us adapt--and succeed. The key, according to Paul B. Brown, is to think like an entrepreneur, no matter what your position or industry. What works for the most successful entrepreneurs will work for us, Brown argues, whether we want to stay employed working for someone else or are thinking of going off on our own. Based on extensive research, Entrepreneurship for the Rest of Us reveals the best practices of the most successful entrepreneurs, those who are adept at continually innovating and seeing opportunity where others do not. They do that by following a rigid approach. For example: They never start with a new idea, but by trying to solve a market need. Financing is an afterthought. They get started with the resources at hand (not only does that allow them to move quickly, if things don't work out, they are not out much). Perfect is the enemy of good, it is much more important to get out into the marketplace with a prototype than to keep fiddling with what you have. In short, the entrepreneurial mindset is a protection against economic uncertainty, and Brown's goal is to spread that thinking to individuals and large organizations alike. Though of course we won't all start or run our own companies, we need to learn to think like entrepreneurs so that when uncertainty hits, as it will again and again, individuals and companies will be better prepared to not only survive but win.

Today, when companies and customers are faced with an infinite number of messages, the word "relevance" has taken on a new meaning and dimension. We know that relevance matters, but what does that mean exactly? Andy Coville guides leaders and executives toward the realization that if they can focus on a single, guiding principle--a magnetic one--that permeates their brand or company, customers will not only engage but change thinking and behavior in turn. Relevance takes us through the dimensions of relevance--both qualitative and quantitative--in order to find the starting point on the Relevance Scale: where we are and where to go from here. The book walks the reader through the elements of staying relevant as well as the circumstances that contribute to establishing a relevance platform. The author offers many examples as well as explaining messaging strategies. Whether you are working with a consumer product, a nonprofit, or a B2B company, Andy Coville believes you, your brand, or your company have the power to change and influence behavior and make an impact.

In this completely revised and updated edition of the customer service classic (more than 600,000 copies sold), Carl Sewell enhances his time-tested advice with fresh ideas and new examples and explains how the groundbreaking “Ten Commandments of Customer Service” apply to today’s world.

Drawing on his incredible success in transforming his Dallas Cadillac dealership into the second largest in America, Carl Sewell revealed the secret of getting customers to return again and again in the original Customers for Life. A lively, down-to-earth narrative, it set the standard for customer service excellence and became a perennial bestseller. Building on that solid foundation, this expanded edition features five completely new chapters, as well as significant additions to the original material, based on the lessons Sewell has learned over the last ten years.

Sewell focuses on the expectations and demands of contemporary consumers and employees, showing that businesses can remain committed to quality service in the fast-paced new millennium by sticking to his time-proven approach: Figure out what customers want and make sure they get it. His “Ten Commandants” provide the essential guidelines, including:

• Underpromise, overdeliver: Never disappoint your customers by charging them more than they planned. Always beat your
estimate or throw in an extra service free of charge

• No complaints? Something’s wrong: If you never ask your customers what else they want, how are you going to give it to them?

• Measure everything: Telling your employees to do their best won’t work if you don’t know how they can improve

• Borrow, borrow, borrow: Sewell, for example, learned about hospitality from Japanese culture, cleanliness from Disney, and
politeness from his mother.

Das Buch ist eine praxisnahe Lekture, die jedem zu empfehlen ist, der sein Umternehmen fur den Dienst am Kunden fit machen will. Handelsblatt Kunden furs Leben ist genauso anspruchsvoll und nuchtern wie einfach und amusant. Hinter diesem Ratgeber zum Thema Kundenbindung verbirgt sich eine ausgereifte Theorie uber Management und Service. Carl Sewell gibt provozierende Ratschlage fur das Fuhren eines Unternehmens, beschreibt seine individuelle Art des Qualitatsmanagements und macht deutlich, wie er in seinem Unternehmen standige Verbesserungen durchsetzt. Die Themen reichen von der Bezahlung der Mitarbeiter bis zur Gestaltung der Kundentoiletten. Sein oberstes Ziel, dem alles andere untergeordnet wird, ist die langfristige Kundenzufriedenheit. Carl Sewell und seine 250-Millionen-Dollar-Firma sind der beste Beweis fur die Gultigkeit seines Konzepts. Kunden furs Leben ist eine Goldmine an guten Ideen. In diesem Buch versteckt sich nichts Geringeres als eine voll ausgereifte Theorie uber Management und Kundenservice. Jedes Unternehmen koennte davon profitieren. Tom Peters

How to succeed at work and life--in an increasingly unpredictable world In a world where you can no longer plan or predict your way to success, how can you achieve your most important goals? It's a daunting question. But in today's environment, where change is the only constant, it's a question everyone must answer. This is true whether you are an innovator or an entrepreneur, a manager or a newly minted graduate. The first step, say the authors of this book, is this: "Just start." In other words, take action now and learn as you go. Written by a trio of seasoned business leaders, Just Start combines fascinating research with proven practices to deliver a reliable method for helping you advance toward your goals--despite the uncertainty that is all too common today. Babson College President Leonard Schlesinger, organizational learning expert Charles Kiefer, and veteran journalist Paul B. Brown share their own deep and varied experiences and draw from a source where striving amid constant uncertainty actually works: the world of serial entrepreneurship. In this world, people don't just think differently--they act differently, as well. Using this novel approach, Just Start will help you: * Determine the best strategy and tactics when the future is uncertain * Minimize financial risk in every decision you make * Attract like-minded people to what you want to do (and learn why this is important) * Understand why "Act. Learn. Build (so you can) Act again" is the best course of action when facing the unknown So throw out your forecasting tools and shrug off that nagging frustration that comes with constant uncertainty. Just Start distills for you the very essence of what makes people successful in today's volatile environment. This book is your guide to achieving your goals--whether your project is professional or personal, or somewhere in between.