Customer Reviews

How You Do... What You Do: Create Service Excellence That Wins Clients For Life

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Frankly, I doubt if there are any head-snapping revelations left concerning customer service but I continue to be impressed by recently published books in which their authors offer thought-provoking perspectives, insights, and suggestions worthy of careful consideration. Just as there is a buyer for every house, in publishing there is a buyer for every book. My task as a reviewer is to help those who read my comments to decide whether or not the given book seems to be directly appropriate to her or his own circumstances, needs, and interests. How You Do...What You Do offers a case in point.

Bob Livingston achieves his objective of presenting a comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective program that (with appropriate modifications, of course) could be put in place by almost any company, whatever its size and nature may be. I think that his book can also be of substantial value to individuals in sales, especially those who are relatively inexperienced although much of what he shares could serve as "reminders" to sales managers.

Obviously, the best an organization can do to support its sales initiatives (as opposed to its marketing initiatives) is to "free up" its salespersons - as much as possible - from responsibilities that are unrelated to the cultivation, solicitation, and post-sale process. Less time consumed by paperwork means more time available to nourish customer relationships. A company can maintain zero-defect quality control of each product it sells. It can also ensure that there are no foul-ups with order processing, delivery, invoicing, and technical service. An appropriate analogy would be to carrier jet pilots who also depend on an efficient system to provide the information they need, then get them and their planes safely on their way to each target destination. As Livingston explains very well, companies should be customer-centric, indeed customer-driven and develop a culture that recognizes what Peter Drucker observed decades ago: "If you don't have a customer, you don't have a business."

Of course, selling today must take into full account that customers have more choices than ever before, that many (if not most) products are commodities or at least widely viewed that way, and that in general, customers are much better informed than in years past, largely because of immediate access to more and better information, much of it provided by Web sites. (There are several Web sites that direct people to other Web sites. They function as an electronic concierge" and can be quite helpful.) Purchase decisions - including the decision to purchase nothing now or soon - usually involve several people (what Michael Boylan characterizes as a "circle of influence") rather than a single decision-maker, so cultivation strategies must be diversified and "customized" and yet (somehow) coordinated effectively. If you don't think that's tricky, try doing it.

As Livingston fully understands, no sales program or system such as his (or anyone else's) can ever replace a knowledgeable, likeable, principled, and energetic salesperson, nor was it intended to be. On the contrary, it should be viewed as an enabling device that saves a salesperson precious time and energy, improves identification and pre-qualification of prospective customers, and in other ways (to repeat) "frees up" her or him to focus on cultivation and solicitation initiatives.

His book will help those in sales to gain a better understand of what to do...and how to do it. (Those who read between lines will also get some tips on what not to do...and how not to do it.) Livingston's book can also help CEOs and other C-level executives to gain a better understanding of why a customer-centric, indeed customer-driven culture must be established and then sustained.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Joseph Michelli's The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company and two of Leonard Berry's books, On Great Service: A Framework for Action and Discovering the Soul of Service: The Nine Drivers of Sustainable Business Success as well as Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force co-authored by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba.

One could easily say that Bob's most enduring talent is to naturally motivate and encourage those around him. For those of us who have seen him speak, we have had the luxury of seeing the stories in this book come to life in the most inspiring and thought provocking manner.

You will want to photocopy sections of this book for your staff, bosses and clients alike. You will find yourself coming back to it over and over again. HYDWYD will be your valued asset in engaging those around you in service minded behavior. After all it is about the "how" you do "what" you do...

Bob is clearly the real life depiction of "how you do, what you do!" I can easily endorse Bob and his book without reservation.

I have had the pleasure of reading the book, hearing him present "How you do..What you do, and working with him directly and I can tell you that Bob Livingston is the real deal! The premise of the book extends beyond work and has meaning for your personal life as well. The book lays out in clear terms a pathway for improving "how you do" things, in many ways a lost art (or even value) today. It also provides meaningful examples to emphasize the points. It is fast paced and a must read!

Bob Livingston has a wonderful way of conveying service stories and solutions. He shares his many years of experience and situations from the Corporate World and presents simple solutions that we can all learn from. Every time I have a poor service experience, I wish that there were handouts in Bob's book so that I could share with people how they could learn to improve their level of service. How You Do....What You Do raises an awareness level of service second to none. This is a quick read, that will remain with you always. I highly recommend it.

Real-life stories of on-the-job learning experiences which led the author to an amazingly successful career. Bob Livinston is sharing a wealth of info, tips and "how tos" for anyone and everyone in business -and all businesses require "service" one way or the other - so they can avoid the pitfalls of complacency and master their markets. This is a very detailed message to every corporate manager, officer - and caring worker in this country.

If you are new to the service business or need some inspiration, this book is a refreshing look at how to consider and provide differentiated service. It is a step-by-step guide for re-inventing your appraoch to service... it will challenge some paradigms and do so in a constructive manner. A quick read with some wondeful personal stories from a man who has provided unique and differentiated service for his entire professional career.

"How you do What you do" was a very enjoyable read. It over-flowed with knowledge, methods, systems and wisdom. Almost every page offered a lesson to be learned, The real examples of a successful company re: structuring processes were of particular interest, proving and supporting the effectiveness of the concept. Although at first I was a little apprehensive with regards to whether the book would pertain to an independent "one man show" realtor, I soon realized that "How you do What you do" is for everyone. During these past years I pride myself on following many of the rules and methods that are outlined in the book. However, it also reminded me of what I was not doing and it gave me inspiration on how to improve. The fact is that I got it! The service industry is very complicated and difficult to read, and it is not an easy task to follow certain approaches to it. In saying this, I do appreciate the fact that by following the steps of "How you do What you do" will certainly help anyone achieve success. Being competitive, a perfectionist, and an organizer, after reading this book I felt that I had the knowledge and power to assist any company with regards to increasing their earnings, in helping them by "How I Serve ". I will use "How you do What you do" in the future as my manual and for guidance.

This book is full of excellent advice that is transferable across any industry. There are not complex formulas and 12 steps programs, just a few simple rules to ensure you provide superior service to your customers, your friends and your family. It's really the difference between delivering good work and delivering work that is forever remembered by your clients.

Welcome the corporate Lenin. He preaches about good customer relations and how 5 star hotels have a poor reputation for this Unilever sales executive. Listen to the man's hymn of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" coming from one of the biggest Global polluters. Hear his Nielsen boss (ex GE executive) talk about the power to move your business elsewhere. But where as their employers practice monopoly and engage corupted governments to push their petty agendas. I felt sick while reading the corporate evangelism and threw it away.

In the first chapter there is one story that made me laugh and cry at the same time. Laugh at the corporate beast that can't stop even for serious personal problems (in the end he'll lose sight in one eye) and cry for the little people tortured by experts like this one, working on small wages who are bound to smile wide because the boss told them too and who don't have the resources to consult five (!) different surgeons and be trated on a whim on the Thanksgiving Friday. What a twisted world!