A customer-centric approach can add value to a company by enabling it to differentiate itself from competitors who do not offer the same experience.
Here are 6 of Walking the Talk's recommended customer-centricity reads.
"The Art of Enchantment is an update of Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, in which Kawasaki asserts that the fundamental goal of influence is not to get your own way, but to bring about a change of heart in other people by working with and through them."
Delivering Happiness | Tony Hsieh
"In DELIVERING HAPPINESS, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business, through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Fast-paced and down-to-earth, DELIVERING HAPPINESS shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success-and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own. "
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Moments of Truth | Jan Carlzon
"Jan Carlzon's book “Moments of Truth” shows how the best way of delivering consistently high-quality moments of truth lies in building a customer-driven company. The author explains the six essential characteristics of this type of company and how all of these elements can be brought together to achieve significant success. By applying these six principles, you can learn how to focus on your customers and guarantee success. "
Onward: How Starbucks Fought for its Life without Losing its Soul | Howard Schultz
Offering you a snapshot of the recession that left no company unscathed, the book shows in riveting detail how one company struggled and recreated itself in the midst of it all. In addition, you'll get an inside look into Schultz's central leadership philosophy: It's not about winning, it's about the right way to win.Onward is a compelling, candid narrative documenting the maturing of a brand as well as a businessman. Ultimately, Schultz gives you a sense of hope that, no matter how tough times get, the future can be more successful than the past. "
"It's a story about entrepreneur, and risk, and hard work, and knowing where you want to go and being willing to do what it takes to get there. And it's a story about believing in your idea even when maybe some other folks don't, and about sticking to your guns. Sam Walton. Meet a genuine American folk hero cut from the homespun cloth of America's heartland: Sam Walton, who turned a single dime store in a hardscrabble cotton town into Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world. The undisputed merchant king of the late twentieth century, Sam never lost the common touch. Here, finally, Sam Walton tells his extraordinary story in his won inimitable words. Genuinely modest, but always sure of his ambitious and achievements, Sam shares his thinking in a candid, straight-from-the-shoulder style. In a story rich with anecdotes and the "rules of the road" of both Main Street and Wall Street, Sam Walton chronicles the inspiration, heart, and optimism that propelled him to lasso the American Dream."
"You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.
What do Apple, Starbucks, Dyson and Pret a Manger have in common? How do they achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and-true brands to gasp their last? The old checklist of P's used by marketers - Pricing, Promotion, Publicity - aren't working anymore. The golden age of advertising is over. It's time to add a new P - the Purple Cow.
Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat-out unbelievable. In his new bestseller, Seth Godin urges you to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, and everything you do, to create something truly noticeable. It's a manifesto for anyone who wants to help create products and services that are worth marketing in the first place."
For further insights view our selection of case studies, ebooks, reports and white papers or contact us to learn how we can transform your culture.