Synopses & Reviews
Once every few years a book comes along with an insight so penetrating, so powerful-and so simply, demonstrably true-that it instantly changes the way we think and do business. Such a book is
Broken Windows, Broken Business, a breakthrough in management theory that can alter the destiny of countless companies striving to stay ahead of their competition.
In this vital and seminal work, author Michael Levine whose Guerrilla P.R. has become a standard text of public relations theory and is taught at the graduate business schools of Harvard, Stanford, and Northwestern offers compelling evidence that problems in business, large and small, typically stem from inattention to tiny details. Social psychologists and criminologists agree that if a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, soon thereafter the rest of the windows will be broken-and the perception will build that crime in that neighborhood is out of control. The same principle applies to business. Constant attention to detail not only demonstrates corporate competence, but also shows that the company cares about what the consumer wants. Broken windows and peeling paint, worn carpets, and poorly maintained restrooms send the opposite signal: that the business doesn't care.
Drawing on real-world corporate examples, from JetBlue's decision to give fliers what they really want leather seats, personal televisions, online ticketing to Google's customer-based strategy for breaking out of the pack of Internet search engines, to business-to-business firms' successes and failures, Levine proves again and again how constant vigilance and an obsession with detail can make or break a business or a brand.
With tips and advice on changing any business to one that dots its i's, crosses its t's, and attracts more clients, Broken Windows, Broken Business goes straight to the heart of what makes all enterprises successful the little things that mean a lot.
Review
"Levine reminds us that most customers will not even bother to complain when they're unhappy; they simply walk away. He makes his strongest case with the airline industry....The examples ring true and the fundamentals apply to any size business." Booklist
Review
"Michael Levine's Broken Windows, Broken Business is inspired, impactful and important. The right business message for our time." Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
About the Author
Levine is the founder of Levine Communications Office.