Winning Behavior : What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently

Behavioral Differentiation is emerging as the "final frontier" in competitive strategy, and this book shows how leading companies use it to exceed expectations and outperform competitors.

In an age where even the best products are quickly imitated, businesses must constantly find new ways to outpace competitors. Successful companies differentiate themselves not just with superior products, but also by how they behave toward their customers at every touchpoint:

• service, 
• product development, 
• marketing, 
• branding, 
• bids and proposals, 
• presentations, 
• negotiations, 
• and more. 

Winning Behavior offers case histories and examples from companies like GE, Volvo, EMC, Ritz-Carlton, Wal-Mart, and Harley-Davidson, plus interviews with executives like George Zimmer (Men's Wearhouse), Colleen Barrett (Southwest Airlines), and Gerry Roche (Heidrick & Struggles). In today’s ultracompetitive business landscape, product quality and competitive pricing are prerequisites for staying afloat. This eye-opening book reveals the secrets the best companies use -- and any business can use -- to stay at the pinnacle of success in their industry.

TERRY R. BACON (Durango, CO) is the founder of Lore International Institute, a widely respected executive-development firm recently acquired by Korn/Ferry International. He is now the scholar in residence in that firm and is the author of many books including Powerful Proposals (978-0-8144-7232-3), What People Want, and The Elements of Power (978-0-8144-1511-5).

David G. Pugh is a coauthor of "Winning Behavior" (0-8144-7163-3) and "The Behavioral Advantage" (0-8144-7225-7), and cofounder of the Lore Institute, a professional development and corporate education company.