100 Business Books that have influenced 100 Business Owners (Part 5)

Ernest Hemingway once said: “there is no friend as loyal as a book.” And he was right! Books are reliable, inspirational and informative…

Welcome to part five of our ‘100 business books that have influenced 100 business owners’ blog.

First up today is Founder and Managing Director of RevSherpas, Kevin Wessels and he chose the book ‘Managing Customer Relationships: A Strategic Framework‘ by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. “I first read it in business school and I was immediately drawn to the fact that a “WOW!” level of service can immediately result in enhanced client satisfaction, deeper customer loyalty, more repeat sales, increased revenues, and much higher profits. The book’s premise of growing and scaling a business via a relentless commitment to the customer and getting rewarded for over-delivering seems like such a simple concept to follow and implement.  However, it’s clearly much easier said than done, as disappointing customer experiences continue to occur across all channels in all industries. For that reason, the core values of our consulting firm are “Client Focused. Elevated Results.”  Moreover, in the spirit of Peppers and Rogers, our consulting engagements consistently deliver an exquisite, unrivaled level of service to our client family members, similar to what they’d expect and receive at the best restaurant or hotel they’ve ever been to.” http://linkedin.com/in/kevin-wessels-83748959 

Mike Evans, General Manager at Automation Systems Interconnect Inc. kept it plain and simple with his book recommendation: ‘The Bible‘. “It has all the answers you’ll ever need”. http://linkedin.com/in/mtevans2020

Founder and Managing Director of The Cove Enterprise Hub, Helen Butler said that the book that influenced her was: ‘The 4 hour Work Week‘ by Timothy Ferriss. “I read it whilst still working in my corporate roles and I felt a real pull towards a way of working and living that was more on my terms than those of the corporate world. It felt questionable at first (was such a life actually possible?) but over the years both I and the world seem to have really moved towards this way of thinking. Be smart. Be savvy. Build a life that allows you to have more control and choice. It was a real eye-opener for me and helped me make real change.” http://linkedin.com/in/helenatthecove

‘The Miracle Morning’ by Hal Elrod is what Owner of Trill Marketing Ltd. Tony Hill chose. “I find it so important to have a good morning routine. It sets me up for the day and puts me in the right frame of mind. The tips in the book are very insightful, I don’t follow everything in ’The Miracle Morning’ but have taken aspects from it and it’s definitely improved the quality of my life, I do feel happier, healthier and I am so much more productive.” http://linkedin.com/in/tonytrillmarketing

And last, but not least- Wahid Chowdhury, Founder of Problem Solving Company chose “The Trusted Advisor” by David Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. “Here are my 22 takeaways from the book on how you can demonstrate trustworthiness to your customers: Show you’re dependable with your consistency, Help them to always see things from a fresh perspective, Never force things on them, Show genuine empathy & understanding of their perspective, Honor that they make the decisions, Your advice is not a substitute for their judgement, Stay calm and never panic, Help them separate logic from emotion, Correct them very gently and lovingly, Show that you can be relied upon to tell the truth, You value the long-term relationship more than a short-term initiative, Give them reasoning and evidence on ‘why’ before drawing conclusions, Give them options to choose from, explain those options, and then provide a recommendation, Challenge their assumptions politely, Show that you are personable, but also take issues seriously, Don’t play a character, be yourself (your true self), Show that you are on the same side and their best interest is ingrained in yours, Show you remember details from previous conversations, Never speak ill of anyone (including past or present clients and team members), Put issues into context using storytelling, Show your good sense of humor even in tough situations, Share your knowledge at the right time, and right place. These tips might take some time to put into practice, but if you want to become a true asset and advisor to your customers, trust is essential.” http://linkedin.com/in/wahid-chowdhury

And that’s it for this week! Have you read any of these books??