Table of Contents

Preface.
1. The Default Choice.

2. The Five Drivers.

3. Case Study: Deluxe.

4. Back to the Six New Basics.

5. Case Study: W Hotels.

6. Create Community.

7. Case Study: Gitomer.

8. Obvious but Often Overlooked.

9. Right Place—Right Time.

10. Case Study: The Pancake Pantry.

11. Big Picture Outcome.

12. Twenty-Eight Indispensable Lessons.

13. Case Study: Pinnacle Financial Partners.

14. Repeatable Process.

15. Stop Apologizing—Start Doing Your Job.

16. Case Study: LawTalk.

17. The Customer Decides.

Index

Description

A five-step strategy for turning a commodity into a necessity

When products and services become interchangeable, price becomes the ultimate determinant for consumers. Indispensable shows businesses how to break out of that cycle by using The Five Drivers-a strategy that takes companies to the next level of performance. Renowned business consultant Joe Calloway looks at how real companies have made their product or service "mission critical," and satisfied customers in the process.

Indispensable goes straight to the heart of the issue and reveals how successful companies-of any size, in virtually any manufacturing, selling, or service endeavor-achieve market leadership through The Five Drivers of fierce customer loyalty. Indispensable shows readers how to:
* Create and sustain momentum: overcome organizational inertia and keep moving forward
* Develop habitual dependability: make consistency of performance a defining characteristic
* Connect continuously
* See the Big Picture Outcome: create compelling customer experiences
* Engage, Enchant, Enthrall: make magic in the marketplace

With interviews, detailed case studies, and dozens of real-world, effective customer service ideas and initiatives, Indispensable is just what today's forward-thinking businesses need.