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Start Something that Matters - by Blake Mycoskie

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/06/2011

ISBN-13: 9781400069187
ISBN-10: 1400069181

For every pair of TOMS shoes purchased, a second pair is donated to a child in need; though TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie considered starting a charity, he felt that a business would have a stronger and more lasting impact. His book, Start Something that Matters, documents both the story of TOMS Shoes and his own transformation from an everyday businessperson to an advocate for "Conscious Capitalism." He also shares lessons learned about entrepreneurship and the importance of honesty and motivation, making this a good choice for those with similar values looking for socially responsible careers or hoping to start a business.

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Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You - by Betsy Myers with John David Mann

Publisher: Atria Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/13/2011

ISBN-13: 9781439160671
ISBN-10: 1439160678

In Take the Lead, Betsy Myers, senior advisor to two U.S. presidents and the former Executive Director of Harvard's Center for Public Leadership, discusses modern leadership theory and identifies seven keys to successful leadership. These keys include a willingness to collaborate and doing the right thing, but the best part of this insightful book is the author's "intelligent but conversational and approachable tone" (Publishers Weekly), which will draw in readers looking to increase their leadership effectiveness.

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The Amazement Revolution : Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer (And Employee) Experience - Shep Hyken

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Llc
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/16/2011

ISBN-13: 9781608321063
ISBN-10: 1608321061

Customer service isn't a department--it's a philosophy that includes every person and aspect of the best and brightest companies. In a tough, competitive, and price-sensitive economy, customer service is one of the most essential tools to separate your business from the competition. In this sequel to the bestseller The Cult of the Customer, Shep Hyken delivers seven powerful strategies that any organization can implement to create greater customer and employee loyalty:

Membership: What if you treated the people you serve like members instead of customers?
Serious FUN: What if your employees felt a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment that made them loyal to you and your customers?
Partnership: What if your customers thought of you as a partner rather than just another vendor?
Hiring: What if you could implement innovative hiring processes to support your customer-service mission?
The After-Experience: What if you could create a memorable, positive experience after someone did business with you?
Community: What if you could create a community of evangelists--loyal customers who brag about you to their friends and associates?
Walking the Walk: What if every person in your company didn't just deliver, but lived and breathed your vision for amazing customer service?

Hyken shares more than one hundred insightful examples from fifty role-model companies that prove these strategies can and should be implemented immediately--by any organization, large or small.

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EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches - by Dave Ramsey

Publisher: Howard Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/20/2011

ISBN-13: 9781451617856
ISBN-10: 1451617852

Bestselling personal finance author Dave Ramsey is back, this time to offer advice on building and growing a business. Highlighting the need for good leadership, Ramsey's talking points include setting and attaining goals, effective time management, hiring strategies, and the importance of operating debt-free. In his straightforward and enthusiastic manner, Ramsey offers up solid suggestions and the occasional success story for inspiration. Earning praise from fellow business writers and successful CEOs, this book will appeal to entrepreneurs looking to sustain strong leadership skills.

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Focus on: Customer Service

What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business - by Harry Beckwith

Publisher: Business Plus
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/10/2010

ISBN-13: 9780446556026
ISBN-10: 0446556025

In this brief, direct collection of short lessons in keeping customers happy, bestselling business writer Harry Beckwith uses real-life examples of success and failure to illustrate his points. Easy to read -- and easy to flip through at random -- the lessons vary from "hard sales lose business" to advice on picking a name for your company. Beckwith's major point is that it's the relationship with the customer that matters -- and his lessons all tie into strengthening that rapport. If you like his style, and want to learn how to market a service-oriented (rather than product-oriented) business, try Selling the Invisible.

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Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running a Business in Today's Consumer Driven World - by Pete Blackshaw

Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/08/2008

ISBN-13: 9780385522724
ISBN-10: 038552272X

In this Internet-connected world, consumers have myriad opportunities to share their experiences in the marketplace. Through blogs, video- and photo-sharing sites, social networking sites, and product review sites, experiences both positive and negative can be viewed by an unlimited number of existing or potential customers. If you're a forward-looking marketer or business leader wanting to establish and maintain your brand's good name among Web-savvy customers, you'll find consumer-behavior specialist Pete Blackshaw's argument for the importance of credibility and his tips for interacting with consumers "informative, energetic and entertaining" (Publishers Weekly).

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Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose - by Tony Hsieh

Publisher: Business Plus
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/07/2010

ISBN-13: 9780446563048
ISBN-10: 0446563048

In 1999, Zappos started off as an online shoe retailer -- it's now the biggest online shoe store, sells apparel and accessories, and was bought by Amazon.com for about $1.2 billion in 2009. It's also been on Fortune's list of Best Companies to Work For since 2009 and prides itself on customer service, contented employees, and customer loyalty. In Delivering Happiness, CEO (and initial investor) Tony Hsieh explains the company's unique corporate culture, its focus on happiness, and how the principles it's based on can be translated to other companies and entrepreneurs, but he also discusses his bumpy personal and professional road to success.

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Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results - by Jack Mitchell

Publisher: Hyperion
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/01/2003

ISBN-13: 9781401300340
ISBN-10: 1401300340

If the title of this book has you worried that the advice within is to literally wrap your arms around your customers, never fear -- "hugging" really just refers to keeping customers happy (and coming back) by offering them the best possible service. Jack Mitchell, the CEO of two successful clothing stores in Manhattan's affluent Connecticut suburbs, shares the secrets of his family's successful approach, which calls for a personal relationship with customers. In addition to personal service (he even visits customers to tie their bow ties before big events), he explains how this approach attracts great employees, lowers marketing costs, and maintains revenues. "Chipper [and] inspiring," says Publishers Weekly.

Your Call Is (not that) Important to Us: Customer Service and What it Reveals about Our World and Our Lives - by Emily Yellin

Publisher: Free Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/24/2009

ISBN-13: 9781416546894
ISBN-10: 1416546898

If you've ever had a frustrating conversation with a customer service representative, you might enjoy this look at what goes on in the often dysfunctional world of customer service. Having identified a trend towards poor-quality call centers, author Emily Yellin assesses such topics as endless pre-recorded menus and representatives who do not speak the same language as their customers. Happily, she also focuses on the efforts of consumer advocates and gives examples of companies (like FedEx) who have put a great deal of effort into treating their customers well.

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