Publisher's Synopsis
Fred Wiersema, leading business strategist and bestselling author of The Discipline of Market Leaders, shows how companies can profit from establishing closer, more co-operative customer relationships. Why are Levi Strauss, British Airways and Xerox so successful, with record profits and sky-high reputations? Because they are making the most of practices Wiersema calls `customer intimate'. Customer intimate companies earn their customers' confidence and co-operation to further productivity. Suppliers and customers work together as if they were two different aspects of the same organization, jointly pursuing mutual success. Wiersema describes how customer intimacy works, how to implement it, and the pitfalls to look out for. One in three market-leading companies makes the most of these practices. This is a vital book for any manager considering the next step beyond reengineering, quality thinking and lean management. Companies described include: Black & Decker, Boeing, British Airways, Chrysler, CIGNA, Colgate-Palmolive, Fisher-Price, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Xerox, Young & Rubicam
