TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2005
THE QUOTES
"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric."
--Bertrand Russell
"The companies who seriously focus on customers inevitably do better. The interesting thing is that despite the overwhelming data, as well as a plethora of startling anecdotes, some companies just do not take the customer orientation seriously."
--Benson Shapiro
For complete article from which this quote was taken see first site-seeing link below.
THE QUESTIONS
Ask 'n Answer
What are you doing to increase your own "value" quotient?
What products and services do customers really buy from you? How do you communicate your benefits?
THE STATS
In today's marketplace CEOs have many concerns. According to a recent questionnaire these are their biggest concerns:
- 43%, healthcare
- 20%, litigation
- 19%, energy
- 11%, materials
- 4%, labor
- 4%, pensions
--Business Roundtable/USA TODAY
.....................................................................................................
"Value" players--those that deliver low prices and high quality--in a growing number of industries are gaining marketshare on their "traditional" rivals.
In the U.S. retail-grocery sector:
Value grocer sales per sq. ft. - $821
Traditional grocer sales per sq. ft. - $425
In the U.S. retail-apparel sector:
Value-player Kohl's sales per sq. ft. - $246
J.C. Penny sales per sq. ft. - $133
Airline Industry:
Value-player Southwest cost per available seat mile - $7.4
U.S. average cost per available seat mile - $10.3
European average cost per available seat mile - $14.0
PCs/Consumer Electronics Sector:
Value-player Dell sales per employee - $905.5 (thousands)
IBM sales per employee - $257.0 (thousands)
--The McKinsey Quarterly
For complete article from which these stats were taken see second site-seeing link below.
SITE SEEING
Get up to date on the pioneering research that helped ignite today's intense focus on the customer.
A thought provoking article about how value-driven competitors have changed the expectations of consumers about the trade-off between quality and price.
Reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution:
Sam Geist lectures, facilitates workshops and conducts training seminars on sales & marketing, the changing marketplace, leadership, differentiation, customer service and staff motivation. His two books, "Why Should Someone Do Business With You... Rather Than Someone Else?" and "Would You Work for You?" are available in bookstores everywhere, published by Addington & Wentworth Inc.
|