By: Ola Pat
Author: Richard Chilee
Author: Richard Chilee
Book Title: Advance
Pagination: 81
Number of Chapters: 14
Book Type: eBook
The short supply of electricity had been forcing me to go to the office on weekends. My office is in a service complex, where no matter the level of power generation in Nigeria, I will get electrical power – Monday through Saturday for the productive hours of 9 am to 6 pm. But on Saturday, January 28, 2017, my office could not provide the electrical service beyond 3 hours due to maintenance servicing of the generating set. Since I have sent my family off on a friendly family visit; I could not go home for fear of being bored to death during the “home alone” waiting for my family.
Out of frustration, I quickly left the office without adequate home preparation. One of the things I left in my hurry is the book I was currently reading, The 17 Indisputable laws of teamwork by John Maxwell. So, when I got home I got myself one of the smoothies my wife made in the morning and decided to glance through one of the eBooks on my phone. I picked Advance, a book reserved for my February reading. The cover of the book is so attractive that you can’t miss it among hundreds of book covers.
I tried as much as I could not to mention the design technicality of the book but I am too “wowed” even as an experienced Graphic Artist to overlook it. Apart from the simplicity of the attractive cover, every law guiding the design of books was conspicuously implemented and taken care of especially when it comes to the white spacing and the use of the most appropriate font. The font used in the main body of the book is very eyes friendly ensuring that reader’s eyes are glued to the page longer without pain. Also, after every chapter is a picture break before proceeding to the next chapter.
The advance: revealing meaningful customer relationship strategies is an eBook written by Richard Chilee, a Port Harcourt, Nigeria-based content developer and business development strategies. He is the head of Richard and Macoltonconsultin firm, a business management and leadership development company.
The eBook contains 14 chapters each dealing with a specific issue of customers relation and strategies. According to the author, in his Raison d’etre (Reason for the book) the purpose of writing the book Is to bring the reader closer to his/her customers and empower him/her to convert customers to believers. Richard is of the opinion that business people need much more than customers to succeed. “You need believers, a tribe, a dedicated audience” that will be your word of mouth.
The opening Chapter set the ball rolling with the problem of not having confidence in one's products or service, the basic foundation of any business. It is pointed out the possible issues that will arise from that lack of confidence. The way out, the author posited is to understand your product or understand what you do.
The second chapter deals with understanding your customers. The author put it this way “ you have to find a way to listen to your customer first and understand their viewpoint. Customers buy because they feel understood and special”. The chapter highlighted ways by which business people can move their “customer relations from the transaction to the collaborative level” by domesticated examples.
Chapter Three focuses on how to befriend your customer by being there through friend that care about other aspects of their life. The author insisted that you must befriend all the categories of customer you have because any of the group can cause severe damage to your business image with word of mouth.
How to avoid arguing with customers was the focus of chapter Four and chapter Five warns against criticizing customers’ decision especially for those who offer service. The chapter suggests taming irritating customers with patience and tolerance.
The next chapter re-emphasis the age long business maxim that customers are king. As such they must be treated with respect and courtesy. While chapter Seven deals with the issue of explaining thoroughly and comprehensively about product or services by engaging and educating them. By engaging them business people can break customers’ defence mechanisms while educating them creates a need in their mind.
Gathering information from customers is the mission of chapter Eight. The author believes that listening to and learning from “Customers is a grand business strategy...” while chapter Nine encourages business people to always admit it, especially to their customers when they are wrong.
In the author’s submission, it is no longer grand to stay off the internet and Chapter 10 gives reasons why every business must not only be online but also have a POS. Chapter 11 went on to advocate on given customers selfless and non-monetary services. He expatiates further that gift for the customers need not cost the business an arm and a leg because often what count is the intention.
Chapter 12 Implores business people to make their customers a priority especially in business decision while Chapter 13 shift our attention to keeping the promises our brand made to the customers. The author guarantee that doing so will open more business doors. And also your business growth and prosperity depend on keeping that brand promise no matter the condition.
The last, Chapter 14 encourages business owners to stress the functionality of their product /service rather than the form. He three core areas of every business to be form, functionality and fabulous. The form being the outlook and design of business while functionality, the most important of the three is the derivable from using service or buying your product. To know or capture what your business does, he posed these two questions: What do you do? What problem does your business solve?
In all this free eBook will be a standard of measure even for a paid eBook and printed books too. The author has successfully domesticated all the principles with examples from here - Nigeria, you can download the eBook :
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1 comments
This is amazing. I am wowed by this gestured. Reading this review from a different perspective has enriched me greatly. Thank you.
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