GO AHEAD!

An aggressively proactive approach to finding loyal customers for one’s business. 

In this business guide, Farah (The Magic Wand, 2017, etc.)—entrepreneur,  speaker, and consultant—makes a clear distinction between customer service and “customer success.” The former, he says, is by its very nature “reactionary” or “defensive,” as it requires waiting for problems to emerge before one can attempt to fix them. By contrast, customer success anticipates customers’ needs before they do, and dives into customer data to divine their values. This “mindset,” Farah says, is more creative than reactive. In this sequel to an earlier guide, the author limns, in admirably accessible language, the elements of customer success and describes how to cultivate it. The book covers a broad spectrum of issues with great concision, including hiring customer-service providers, training personnel, and approaching sales and negotiations to create a customer-friendly business. The most original component of Farah’s instructional manual is his discussion of different kinds of customers, how to grade them, and how to focus one’s business on people who are most easily satisfied. Furthermore, the author discusses how to establish a “customer success philosophy,” including basic ethical commitments. The author speaks confidently from academic and entrepreneurial experience, and consistently communicates his message in accessible prose that’s never bogged down by gratuitous jargon. Some of his counsel, though, is so conventional one wonders why it’s included; the importance of integrity and innovation will hardly be news to readers, for instance. However, there are immediately actionable tips here that should interest all managers—especially those with the power to hire and fire. 

A sensible guide that’s brimming with practical advice.