Customers as Partners

Astute managers and entrepreneurs already know that customer loyalty is a necessity for profitable businesses in the '90s and beyond, and they have invested in this knowledge by initiating a wide variety of quality service programs intended to dazzle customers. But while providing dazzling service may tender short-term customer satisfaction, it is a costly and unsustainable approach. Long-term success depends on replacing the superficial transaction-oriented approach with the deeper commitment of partnership-the essence of a value-based approach to serving customers.

Describing the qualities that embody this deeper commitment, Customers As Partners provides examples from the corporate world, small service businesses, and personal experience. Illustrating each key principle with anecdotes and stories, this book shows how all lasting business relationships share the same partnership attributes as a friendship or marriage, and how each is:

o grounded in an attitude of generosity,

o bolstered by a sense of trust,

o propelled by a joint purpose or shared vision,

o served by honesty,

o characterized by a sense of balance, and

o infused with an element of familiarity and ease.

Customers As Partners vividly shows how to achieve lasting success by creating sustaining personal bonds-the true source of a company's profitability. This ground-breaking work provides insights on how to keep the quality of these relationships central in every interaction. It offers a model of partnership where customers offer valuable feedback, support your business by recommending you to others, and forgive mistakes because they feel a reciprocal long-term commitment.