Ally Relationships: The Key to Sustained Success for Your Service Business (Hardcover)

by Anthony O. Putman (Author) "First, let's make sure this book is really worth your time..." (more)
Key Phrases: Ally Relationships, Answer Man, Solution Provider (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Fun to read, engaging and very practical, Ally Relationships was written with one end in mind: to contribute to the sustained growth and success of your business.

Success in a service business is hard to achieve, and harder still to sustain. Ally Relationships takes you "behind the curtain" to see exactly how the most successful service providers build and sustain their success. You will learn:

* What is your "crown jewel" asset, and why it is under attack.

* How you can consistently stand out from your competitors when your clients decide to buy.

* How to take your business relationships to the highest and most valued level -- quickly and effectively.

* Keys to success, and traps to avoid.

* Specific "Operating Principles" for developing an Ally Relationship -- and the business that goes with it.

From the Author
Anthony O. Putman for the past 30+ years has helped the leaders of service businesses gain and sustain competitive advantage in their market. His clients have ranged from one-person practices to some of the largest firms in the world, including IBM, Ford Motor Company, Deloitte & Touche, Nike, Health Partners, Bell Labs and the United States Department of Defense. His book, Marketing Your Services: A Step-by-Step Guide for Small Businesses and Professionals (John Wiley & Sons, 1990) is recommended on over 100 websites and is currently in its 18th printing.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Burns Park Publishers (July 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977228606
• ISBN-13: 978-0977228607
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,202,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A step-by-step primer to changing how one perceives and interacts with clients, January 7, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Author Anthony O. Putman has spent over thirty years helping the leaders of service businesses seize a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Ally Relations: The Key to Sustained Success for Your Service Business distills his wisdom for service business leaders with a solid base of clientele. In today's modern world, providing excellent service is no longer enough to set one's business apart; "your most valuable asset is the inclination of your market to buy from you instead of your equally qualified competitors". Whether it's called "goodwill", "customer loyalty", or "sustainable competitive advantage", this quality is crucial. Ally Relations stress that while it's impossible to differentiate the service one provides from that of equally qualified competitors, the relationship between service business and customer can be differentiated, and skillfully honing these relationships is the key to success. From learning how to construct give-and-take dialogues with allies rather than drill them with interview questions, to learning how to listen effectively, Ally Relations is a step-by-step primer to changing how one perceives and interacts with clients in order to cultivate positive relationships and repeat business. Highly recommended for service industry leaders everywhere, whether the business they lead is a one-man show or a big corporation.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alliance Marketing is Super-Powerful, January 8, 2009

By	Shel Horowitz "Shel Horowitz, author, Princip... (Hadley, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Those of you who've read my award-winning sixth book Principled Profit know that I'm a big fan of marketing through relationships-and of marketing approaches that move your offering out of the realm of commodity, and into the realm of value.

Anthony Putman is very much in alignment with this approach, pointing out that any service business's biggest asset is the willingness of the customer to buy from you-and that building strong relationships is a very good way to protect that asset. "You cannot differentiate a service...but you can differentiate a relationship," he says.

I'm not convinced that services can't be differentiated. At least some of them can be; that's the whole concept of the unique selling proposition. However, it's always going to be much easier to highlight the strengths of your offer when you do in fact differentiate the relationship.

In Putman's view, a business relationship will have one of three levels:
* Service source-a vendor, pure and simple
* Solution provider, there to solve your client's problems
* Ally: a strategic partner who is thoroughly committed to your clients' growth and success, and who is always thinking about ways to grow the relationship by being more helpful

It's not about selling-but about being seen as the go-to person for trusted advice, and thus products. Allies, of course, make themselves indispensable-and thus not only recession-proof, but also protected against clients jumping ship or price-shopping because they may be satisfied, but they're not inspired.

One way to be seen as an ally is to decline business that isn't right for you, and couple that with a referral to someone who specializes in that need. There are many other paths as well, which involve your ability to refrain from traditional selling, think about your clients' needs instead of your own, and ask the questions that make the client understand how to grow (rather than those that lead toward a one-shot sale).

While it may be easier to build ally relationships with new clients, Putman also includes specific steps to push you up the ladder with existing clients, one person at a time-and with often-dramatic results as clients subconsciously but happily accept the "free upgrade" in their status.

One final point: this approach is rooted in high ethical standards. As Putman says, there is "no place for deceit or spin." In short, this is an excellent complement to my own award-winning book Principled Profit, especially if you're in sales.

Shel Horowitz's award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, demonstrates how to build a business around ethics, environmental sustainability, and cooperative practices--and how to develop marketing that highlights those advantages.