Synopses & Reviews
"believe in this book!"-from the Foreword by Colleen Barrett, president emeritus, Southwest Airlines
What makes the difference between having customers who like you and customers who love you?
Lots of businesses are respected, but only an elite few have passionate, loyal, vocal fans. The kind of customers who not only come back time and time again, but rave to friends, family, and even strangers. The kind who can drive explosive growth via e-mail, blogs, Facebook and Twitter.
Jeanne Bliss is an expert on what it takes to earn that kind of customer. The bad news, she says, is that there's no shortcut; the world's biggest marketing budget can't make people love you. But the good news is that a company can become beloved-if you commit to five essential decisions about how to run your business.
Bliss has studied and worked with dozens of beloved companies, ranging in size from large to small, from longtime successes like Wegman's and Harley-Davidson, to relatively new companies like Zappos, The Container Store, and Zane's Cycles. Despite their diversity, they all make the same five fundamental choices. For example:
* Griffin Hospital, a regional hospital in Connecticut decided to believe in their patients and give them full access to their medical records; ending secrecy led to a sharp decrease in lawsuits.
* Apple decided with clarity of purpose to make their stores easy to hang out in, despite the extra cost.
* Amy's Ice Cream of Austin, Texas decided to be real by expecting potential employees to be fearless and creative, starting with a white paper bag application.
* Zane's Cycles, a Connecticut bike shop that sells 13 million dollars' worth of bikes and supplies a year, decided to be there for riders by giving away parts that cost less than a dollar.
* Netflix decided to say "sorry" before most customers even realized there was a delay in shipping dvds.
The common denominator, explains Bliss, is that beloved companies consistently find ways to weave their humanity into their business decisions. They never lose sight of the people affected by everything they do. Their reward: an army of cheerleaders and volunteer publicists who tell everyone they know over the internet and urge friends and colleagues to try these companies, with statements such as, "I'd marry them if I could," and "I love you more than my dog!"
If you're ready to join this elite group, Bliss's advice and case studies can help you drive growth and profit in any economy.
Review
"If you are dedicated to a cause that you feel could make the world or a town or an organization or even yourself a better place/person and want some commonsense, practical approaches as to what causes people to believe in you and to want to tell your story, then
I Love You More Than My Dog is a MUST READ!"
- Colleen Barrett, president emeritus, Southwest Airlines (from the Foreword)
"If you want to be a business that is defined by not only how many new customers you acquire, but also the number you keep and how passionately they help spread the word, then I highly recommend reading this book!"
-Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com
"Jeanne Bliss has written the right book at the right time. She identifies the key decisions that lead to great customer experiences. I recommend that all executives interested in customer experience read this book, and pass it on inside their company."
-Bruce D. Temkin , VP & principal analyst, Customer Experience, Forrester Research, Inc.
"Now more than ever, successful companies must have a deep-rooted passion for and commitment to delivering the utmost in customer service-there's no other option if you want to stay afloat in this day and age. Adopting Jeanne's five decisions will ensure your customers 'do a little dance' every time they interact with your brand."
-Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO, The Container Store
"I simply love Jeanne Bliss' book. You must read it if you have made business decisions to 'hug' or 'love' your people and customers. Her five simple, insightful steps will ensure you and your team extraordinary, superior customer service. She skillfully writes a fun, easy-to-read book that should become a new bible in this field."
-Jack Mitchell, CEO Mitchells / Richards / Marshs and author of Hug Your Customers and Hug Your People.
"I know you're reading these endorsements to see if you should buy this book. I say buy it! But most importantly, apply this book, and you too can become what Jeanne calls 'a beloved company,' one in which employees and customers alike love."
-John Christensen, co-author of Fish! & CEO, ChartHouse Learning, Home of the Fish! Philosophy
Synopsis
Hundreds of businesses have customers who admire them, but only an elite few have true advocates— passionate, loyal, vocal fans—who rave about them to anyone who will listen.
Jeanne Bliss, who served as a senior customer executive at five major companies, says there’s no shortcut to becoming beloved—you can’t hire a fancy marketing firm to get there. You earn it by how you decide to run your business—as Wegman’s and Harley-Davidson have for decades and as relatively new companies like Zipcar and Zappos are doing right now.
After studying and working with dozens of beloved companies, Bliss has identified five key decisions that lead to customer devotion:
• Decide to believe
• Decide with clarity of purpose
• Decide to be real
• Decide to be there
• Decide to say “sorry”
Her examples and advice will help readers sustain growth and profit even in a tough economy.
Synopsis
Many businesses have customers who admire them, but only an elite few have true advocates--fans who rave about them to anyone who will listen. After studying and working with dozens of beloved companies, Bliss has identified five key decisions that lead to customer devotion.
Synopsis
"I highly recommend reading this book!" -Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com
Lots of businesses are respected, but only an elite few have passionate, loyal, vocal fans. The kind of customers who not only come back time and time again, but rave to friends, family, and even strangers. The kind who can drive explosive growth via e-mail, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Jeanne Bliss is an expert on what it takes to earn that kind of customer.
Bliss has studied and worked with many beloved companies, from longtime successes like Wegmans and Harley-Davidson to relatively new companies like Zappos and The Container Store. They all make the same five fundamental choices. Their reward: an army of fans who say things like, "I'd marry them if I could," and "I love you more than my dog!"
About the Author
Jeanne Bliss began her career at Lands' End as a customer service pioneer and went on to serve as the chief customer executive at Coldwell Banker, Allstate, Microsoft, and Mazda. She is now the president of the consulting firm CustomerBliss, with clients such as AAA, Johnson & Johnson, Costco, and Symantec. She lectures around the world and is frequently quoted by major media. Her first book was Chief Customer Officer.