Becky Carroll - The Hidden Power of Your Customers: 4 Keys to Growing Your Business Through Existing Customers

Praise for The Hidden Power of Your Customers

This is the book that shows you how to R.O.C.K. your customers' world. Read it, watch your mind-set change, unlock the hidden power of your customers, and grow your business!

Ekaterina Walter, Social Media Strategist, Intel

The twenty-first century customer has changed, they are communicating using more channels than ever, thus customer service has to change to meet this new, more involved, more demanding customer's requirements about how they want to interact with you. So take heed, don't waste time, stop reading this blurb and buy the book. You won't regret it. Seriously.

Paul Greenberg, Author of CRM at the Speed of Light, 4th Edition

Readers of Becky Carroll's blog Customersrock.net have long enjoyed the posts on creating a customer strategy through conversations with the objective to retain existing customers and grow their customer base. Now they have the chance to buy the book, read, and implement it without booting up their computer. eBooks exempted.

Shashi Bellamkonda, Director of Marketing, Network Solutions (aka Social Media Swami)

You can't sell something to someone who is mad, right? Yet companies expect to do this every day. They upset customers with poor customer service, and turn around and then market them with some brand promise customers know they can't keep. Becky's book is a gold mine for businesses that are interested in learning how to truly become customer-centric, reduce costs, and increase revenue profits!

Dr. Natalie L. Petouhoff, Chief Strategist, Social Media, Digital Communications and Measurement, Weber Shandwick

Becky Carroll has redefined what customer-centrism can be, and better yet she gives you a clear and concise playbook for making it work in your company. If you wisely want to make more money from the customers you've already worked hard to get, read this book immediately and often.

Jay Baer, Coauthor of The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smart, and More Social

Customers are the lifeblood of our businesses, and we spend lots of time and money chasing more of them. But with The Hidden Power of Your Customers, Becky Carroll rightfully reminds us that the most compelling way to grow our business is to put our existing customers at the center of it. Becky's accessible examples and insightful perspective deliver far beyond a customer service how-to, and serve as the playbook for a customer-focused culture, approach, and mind-set that today's businesses absolutely need.

Amber Naslund, VP Social Strategy, Radian6, and Coauthor of The NOW Revolution

The first axiom I learned as a young marketer was that it costs more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Why, then, do so many companies exhibit an indifference to their customers, especially in light of the current social media melee? Customers are talking back, whether anyone at headquarters is listening or not. Becky Carroll is an authority on customer-centric marketing, and she writes with clarity and passion. If you want to grow your company, buy this book and read it twice.

Connie Reece, Marketing and Communications Consultant and Founder, Every Dot Connects

The need to listen to your customers, both to what they are saying and what they are not saying, is critical to organizations across the world, across the public and private sectors. The Hidden Power of Your Customers provides an excellent guide for novice and experts seeking to grow their business by properly engaging with their customers. The insights complete with clear explanations and solid case studies ensure this is a book you will want to read.

John F. Moore, Founder and CEO, Government in The Lab

Copyright 2011 by Rebecca Carroll. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions .

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Carroll, Becky, 1966
The hidden power of your customers : Four keys to growing your business through existing customers / Becky Carroll.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-118-01821-7 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-118-09544-7 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-118-09545-4 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-118-09546-1 (ebk)
1. Customer services. 2. Customer relations. 3. Customer servicesManagement. 4. Customer relationsManagement. I. Title.
HF5415.5.C373 2011
658.812dc22 2011007554

This book is dedicated to my loving husband, Dan, without whom I would have never taken the first step, and to my sons, Tim and Matt, who encouraged me all along the way. I love you.

Acknowledgments

This book is the culmination of more than four years of thoughts, hopes, and dreams. As you can imagine, a lot of people have contributed to those dreams along the way and have helped shape this book into a reality. Unfortunately, there are many more people who have contributed than I am able to thank here, but please know that all of you have made an impact on me and on this book. You all rock!

First and foremost, I want to thank my husband Dan. You have helped me keep my eye on the end goal. Thank you for the time you spent making dinners, creating a quiet house (so I could focus), and rubbing my back at three in the morning when I was tossing and turning over the next chapter. I couldn't have done it without you and your endless support.

I also want to tell you, Tim and Matt, how much I have appreciated all of your encouragement. From making me a snack to keeping me company to understanding when I couldn't always be with you during this projectevery little thing you have done meant so much to me. Thank you for being such wonderful sons.