Preface ix
1 The Default Choice 1
2 The Five Drivers 11
3 Case Study: Deluxe 27
4 Back to the Six New Basics 51
5 Case Study: W Hotels 67
6 Create Community 77
7 Case Study: Gitomer 87
8 Obvious but Often Overlooked 97
9 Right Place--Right Time 113
10 Case Study: The Pancake Pantry 125
11 Big Picture Outcome 133
12 Twenty-Eight Indispensable Lessons 145
13 Case Study: Pinnacle Financial Partners 169
14 Repeatable Process 179
15 Stop Apologizing--Start Doing Your Job 189
16 Case Study: LawTalk 197
17 The Customer Decides 203
Index 221

A five-step strategy for turning a commodity into a necessity
When products and services become interchangeable, price becomesthe ultimate determinant for consumers. Indispensable showsbusinesses how to break out of that cycle by using The FiveDrivers-a strategy that takes companies to the next level ofperformance. Renowned business consultant Joe Calloway looks at howreal companies have made their product or service "missioncritical," and satisfied customers in the process.
Indispensable goes straight to the heart of the issue and revealshow successful companies-of any size, in virtually anymanufacturing, selling, or service endeavor-achieve marketleadership through The Five Drivers of fierce customer loyalty.Indispensable shows readers how to:
* Create and sustain momentum: overcome organizational inertia andkeep moving forward
* Develop habitual dependability: make consistency of performance adefining characteristic
* Connect continuously
* See the Big Picture Outcome: create compelling customerexperiences
* Engage, Enchant, Enthrall: make magic in the marketplace
With interviews, detailed case studies, and dozens of real-world,effective customer service ideas and initiatives, Indispensable isjust what today's forward-thinking businesses need.