Customer Success

From turf wars to low morale, most companies attempt to cure what ails them with the latest management fad - and fail. They are treating the symptoms while ignoring the true problem. Success starts with knowing the kind of business you're really in.

Like the ocean, the marketplace constantly changes and today's cresting reward becomes tomorrow's crashing risk. Before you venture out, take a lesson from the experts: big wave surfers. Like successful entrepreneurs, they rely on preparation, passion, and persistence - and they relish a challenge. So it's no surprise that countless surfers have pioneered products and launched thriving businesses (GoPro cameras, O'Neil, Reef, Quicksilver).

Being a server--well, a good server--is so much more than taking an order and dropping food off at a table. Serving with hospitality can open doors to meaningful interactions with strangers, long-term relationships with regulars, and, ultimately, consistent financial success. If you’re new to the restaurant industry, want to improve your skills, or just curious about how to succeed as a server, look no further. As an eight-year veteran and single mom who has been able to raise two kids on server income alone, you can trust me when I say I know what I’m talking about.

CEO of Hint, Inc., and author Kara Goldin turned her unsweetened flavored water into one of the most successful beverage businesses of our time. As she started to achieve her goals, Kara found herself being called “fearless”, “confident” and even “unstoppable”, but nothing could be further from the truth. In Undaunted, she shares real stories about her own fears and doubts, the challenges she encountered and what she did to overcome them to eventually build a great business and a life she loves.

Are you a solopreneur or a small to mid-sized business owner struggling to compete with bigger competitors? The secret to leveling the playing field lies in building a passionate community of superfans—loyal advocates who will champion your brand for free.

In The Customer Connection: Life Lessons from Behind the Chair, you’ll embark on a transformative journey into the world of a seasoned “hairapist,” where the salon chair becomes a unique vantage point for understanding human nature.

This book is the product of his research - a culmination of tips, strategies, and almost two decades of experience in the call center field. It requires a paradigm shift - from being the victim of angry, threatening callers, to gaining the necessary tools and insights to stay calm and centered amidst chaos without taking others’ actions personally. Mastering the Irate Caller is a treasure chest of strategies that will help improve employee morale, customer retention, and mental health in the call center field.

Loyal customers are the beating heart of every great business. So why do so many companies act like adrenaline junkies, chasing after new customers at the expense of creating deeper, more profitable relationships with the ones they already have? Evergreen exposes the mad pursuit for what it is: a brief spike in metrics and an ongoing revenue drain as one-time customers fail to return. A better solution is to shift resources from attracting new customers to engaging the base.

What do many successful businesses and leaders have in common? They're the first names that come to mind when people think about their particular industries. How do you achieve this level of trust that influences people to think of you in the right way at the right time? By developing habits and strategies that focus on engaging your audience, creating meaningful relationships, and delivering value consistently, day in and day out. It's the winning approach John Hall used to build Influence & Co. into one of “America's Most Promising Companies”, according to Forbes.

Guide the conversation. Closing is a process, not an event. In the closing process, there are inevitably many conversations with a variety of potential clients. Closing the Sale will teach you how to influence good decisions to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes from these conversations. Turn talking into decision making. For clients, decision making can seem daunting. They may often favor the noncommittal "maybe" over the decisive "yes" or "no".

From my humble beginning as a market trader's daughter to a fashion stylist in Paris, I have carved out a career that most people could only dream of. Over the years, thousands of people have asked me for the secrets of my “Sue-cess” and it's only now that I feel the world is ready to understand. Charity Shop Sue's Tools for Management and Success is a guide that will illuminate your path to becoming a better manager and a better human person.

In The Relationship Economy, author John DiJulius teaches business leaders about the importance of relationship building in the digital age. He argues that in spite of (and because of) the advances in tech, we've become a less connected society. We have dramatically evolved away from face-to-face communication, and the skill of building rapport is evaporating. This means that customer personalization and relationships are more important now than ever - and they will be the key to success for businesses moving forward.

There is a common misconception that being good at sales necessitates aggressive closing or finding ways to effectively bring in clients. Think again! Author and sales trainer Jim Doyle explains how the best sellers have a commitment to their customers that goes way beyond being customer focused. Servant Heart Sellers, as he calls them, are obsessed with making sure the products they sell make a difference for their customers, not just closing the deal. This commitment changes everything about their sales approach.

Persuasion is not a sales skill - it’s a blunt instrument of last resort that sellers use when they don’t know how to influence the choices their buyers make. It’s the weapon of choice for mindless, uninspired sellers: the sales zombies who have stopped learning and stopped improving. Wouldn’t you rather learn how to master the art of selling in, by listening to what your buyers really want?

Charm is good business. It can increase your income, boost your status, and establish and maintain your reputation. Most businesspeople don't fully understand the concept of charm. It ought to be a reflex, a conditioned response, to "turn on the charm" when dealing with customers, clients, associates, and employees, but it isn't. Charm draws customers. Charm gets noticed. But charm is only partly innate. Much of it is learned.

Nick Mehta and Robin Van Lieshout deliver an actionable playbook on how to cultivate meaningful communities that fuel quantifiable business growth. In the book, you'll learn how to capitalize on this new growth strategy to scale your company and develop excitement around your products and your firm. The authors outline the ten foundational Laws of Community, explaining why community development does not need to be expensive and how to integrate community in the heart of your customer journey.

Relationships hold companies together and fuel future growth. From connecting with customers to forging high-performing teams, success depends on everyone working well together. Yet many leaders prioritize potential relationships and take established ones for granted. They shouldn't. Research reveals that these core relationships are often the weakest...and can prove more vital than missed networking opportunities.

Instead of prescribing rigid scripts and protocols, The 5 Principles of IT Customer Service shows the listener how to live a more compassionate and empathetic life as a pathway to delivering exceptional customer service. Ignoring the dictates of most customer service books, The 5 Principles of IT Customer Service focuses instead on the timeless principles of pride in your work combined with compassion and empathy for our customers and colleagues, excellent listening skills, and an ability to treat all people with dignity and respect.

You've probably already realized that storytelling is ubiquitous today and that it's hard to imagine marketing without it. In this guide, you will first get an overview of what storytelling actually is and why it is an important part of a successful marketing strategy. In addition, you will learn in the theory section how a classic story is structured, to what extent this structure can be integrated into business practice and what alternatives there are.

The best companies and most successful salespeople live by a three-word mantra - "it's all about them" - because when they relentlessly focus their brand on their customers instead of themselves, their businesses flourish. All About Them shows listeners how to use this simple but extremely powerful influencing technique. Bruce Turkel, who has advised some of the world's greatest companies, including American Express and Bacardi, lays the groundwork by relating his personal journey of discovery to the "All About Them" principle.