MB: Managers Bookshelf

“What to Say to a Porcupine:
20 Humorous Tales That Get to The Heart of Great Customer Service,”
by Richard S. Gallagher;
Amacom, New York, New York;
2008; 110 pages; $19.95.

Summer is the traditional time for light reading, even in the world of business books. Author Richard Gallagher has developed one of the more clever efforts this season. He takes his lead from the ancient Aesop’s fables by substituting animals for people in a series of situational case studies that are all focused on how to provide better service to customers.
Just as Aesop did, Gallagher also offers “morals” to each of the fables while offering a modern twist: discussion questions that are most appropriate when the book is used as a teaching vehicle to bring employees up to speed on the importance of customer service.
Most of the tales are oriented toward retailing or profitably furthering business-to-consumer relationships. Business-to-business situations aren’t heavily stressed, although the points he makes are certainly valid in either B-to-C or B-to-B situations.
The author makes one of the key points early in the book about its purpose in the tale he calls “Running with the Pack.” The moral is that listening to what your customers tell you is a key step to help improve customer service, an essential step toward building a better bottom line.
Gallagher notes:
“Moving from fables to the real world, you can often see a direct link between service quality and crowd size at many of the places where you eat. For example, different restaurants in the same chain often have wildly different levels of success depending on how customers are treated. More important, the fortunes of the same restaurant can change dramatically with even subtle changes in how customers perceive the level of service, even when the food is exactly the same. When employees are unmotivated and customers don’t come first, crowds usually get smaller and smaller until these restaurants eventually go out of business. And…the restaurant owners probably never even understood why.
“You can change this dynamic by making a habit of asking customers what they think, and then using this feedback to improve your operations. No matter what profession you are in, input from your customers holds the keys to your success. Listen to what whey tell you—and more important, react to it—and you will be at the top of your game in any business.”
Even though the book takes its title from the cautionary tale of dealing with rude, hard-to-satisfy customers (the “porcupines”), the “You and Your Service Team” section offers some sophisticated approaches to managing customer relations within your organization.
The author comments:
“Once upon a time, the stereotypical athletic coach—and the stereotypical manager—was a tough-love type who motivated through fear and intimidation. “Look at today’s most successful coaches—like baseball’s Joe Torre or basketball’s Phil Jackson—and you’ll see people who behave more like psychologists than slave drivers…. Both have one thing in common: more championships than anyone in their generation.
“If you supervise others, take a hard look at your own coaching style. People hate being criticized, but love learning new skills. And when you put the basics of positive, strength–based coaching to work for you, you’ll notice the difference in your team’s performance.”
We have already entered a difficult economic period in which growing a business will rely more than ever on the reputation for building solid customer relationships. “What to Say to A Porcupine” makes no pretences about being the definitive work on building great customer service. It is, however, an easy-to-read teaching vehicle about building profitable relationships with the people who are most important to everyone in your business: your customers.

-- Henry Holtzman

Here are the current top 10 bestselling books for business. The list is compiled based on information received from retail bookstores throughout the U.S.A.

1. “The Post-American World” by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. Norton & Co …$25.95) (1)*
Why the 21st Century will not be “the American Century.”
2. “21 Distinctions of Wealth: How to Create Unlimited Abundance in Your Life,” by Peggy McColl (John Wiley & Sons…$15.95) (4)
How to become wealthy and stay that way.
3. “Debt Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About,” by Kevin Trudeau (Equity Press…$25.95) (5)
What banks and credit card companies prefer you not to know.
4. “Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned As Children (But May Have Forgotten),” by Jon M. Huntsman (Wharton School Publishing…$19.95)(2)
Why playing by the rules is still the only way to win.
5. “The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of An Irrational World,” by Tim Harford (Random House…$19.95) (3)
Why economics always appears logical when nothing else does.
6. “When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change,” by Mohamed El-Erian (McGraw Hill…$27.95) (8)
New investment strategies as seen by the global investment guru.
7. “Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence,” by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward (Business Plus…$23.99) (6)
Detailed view of how to develop leadership skills.
8. “The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth” by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster Trade…$14.95)**
Why the wealthy are different in a variety of ways.
9. “The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)” by Seth Godin and Hugh Macleod [Illustrator] (Penguin Group – USA…$12.95) (8)
Why winners often quit while losers stick.
10. “Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny,” by Suze Orman (Random House…$24.95) (9)
Guru of women’s financial empowerment tells how it’s done.
____________________
(1)* -- Indicates a book’s previous position on the list.
** -- Indicates a book’s first appearance on the list.
*** -- Book previously on the list is on the list once again.


“What to Say to a Porcupine: 20 Humorous Tales That Get to The Heart of Great Customer Service,” by Richard S. Gallagher; Amacom, New York, New York; 2008; 110 pages; $19.95. Summer is the traditional time for light reading, even in the world of business books. Author Richard Gallagher has developed one of the more clever efforts this season. He takes his lead from the ancient Aesop’s fables by substituting animals for people in a series of situational case studies that are all focused on how to provide better service to customers. Just as Aesop did, Gallagher also offers “morals” to each of the fables while offering a modern twist: discussion questions that are most appropriate when the book is used as a teaching vehicle to bring employees up to speed on the importance of customer service. Most of the tales are oriented toward retailing or profitably furthering business-to-consumer relationships. Business-to-business situations aren’t heavily stressed, although the points he makes are certainly valid in either B-to-C or B-to-B situations. The author makes one of the key points early in the book about its purpose in the tale he calls “Running with the Pack.” The moral is that listening to what your customers tell you is a key step to help improve customer service, an essential step toward building a better bottom line. Gallagher notes: “Moving from fables to the real world, you can often see a direct link between service quality and crowd size at many of the places where you eat. For example, different restaurants in the same chain often have wildly different levels of success depending on how customers are treated. More important, the fortunes of the same restaurant can change dramatically with even subtle changes in how customers perceive the level of service, even when the food is exactly the same. When employees are unmotivated and customers don’t come first, crowds usually get smaller and smaller until these restaurants eventually go out of business. And…the restaurant owners probably never even understood why. “You can change this dynamic by making a habit of asking customers what they think, and then using this feedback to improve your operations. No matter what profession you are in, input from your customers holds the keys to your success. Listen to what whey tell you—and more important, react to it—and you will be at the top of your game in any business.” Even though the book takes its title from the cautionary tale of dealing with rude, hard-to-satisfy customers (the “porcupines”), the “You and Your Service Team” section offers some sophisticated approaches to managing customer relations within your organization. The author comments: “Once upon a time, the stereotypical athletic coach—and the stereotypical manager—was a tough-love type who motivated through fear and intimidation. “Look at today’s most successful coaches—like baseball’s Joe Torre or basketball’s Phil Jackson—and you’ll see people who behave more like psychologists than slave drivers…. Both have one thing in common: more championships than anyone in their generation. “If you supervise others, take a hard look at your own coaching style. People hate being criticized, but love learning new skills. And when you put the basics of positive, strength–based coaching to work for you, you’ll notice the difference in your team’s performance.” We have already entered a difficult economic period in which growing a business will rely more than ever on the reputation for building solid customer relationships. “What to Say to A Porcupine” makes no pretences about being the definitive work on building great customer service. It is, however, an easy-to-read teaching vehicle about building profitable relationships with the people who are most important to everyone in your business: your customers. -- Henry Holtzman Here are the current top 10 bestselling books for business. The list is compiled based on information received from retail bookstores throughout the U.S.A. 1. “The Post-American World” by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. Norton & Co …$25.95) (1)* Why the 21st Century will not be “the American Century.” 2. “21 Distinctions of Wealth: How to Create Unlimited Abundance in Your Life,” by Peggy McColl (John Wiley & Sons…$15.95) (4) How to become wealthy and stay that way. 3. “Debt Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About,” by Kevin Trudeau (Equity Press…$25.95) (5) What banks and credit card companies prefer you not to know. 4. “Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned As Children (But May Have Forgotten),” by Jon M. Huntsman (Wharton School Publishing…$19.95)(2) Why playing by the rules is still the only way to win. 5. “The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of An Irrational World,” by Tim Harford (Random House…$19.95) (3) Why economics always appears logical when nothing else does. 6. “When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change,” by Mohamed El-Erian (McGraw Hill…$27.95) (8) New investment strategies as seen by the global investment guru. 7. “Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence,” by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward (Business Plus…$23.99) (6) Detailed view of how to develop leadership skills. 8. “The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth” by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster Trade…$14.95)** Why the wealthy are different in a variety of ways. 9. “The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)” by Seth Godin and Hugh Macleod [Illustrator] (Penguin Group – USA…$12.95) (8) Why winners often quit while losers stick. 10. “Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny,” by Suze Orman (Random House…$24.95) (9) Guru of women’s financial empowerment tells how it’s done. ____________________ (1)* -- Indicates a book’s previous position on the list. -- Indicates a book’s first appearance on the list. * -- Book previously on the list is on the list once again.
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