Up the Loyalty Ladder : Turning Some-Time Customers into Full-Time Advocates for Your Business

Argues that customer service can be a competitive edge, and offers advice on impressing customers and winning their loyalty

The Raphels posit that customers are a company's lifeblood and existing customers are the best ones. Inextricably, the average firm annually loses about one-fifth of its consumer base, two-thirds leaving for no apparent reason. The authors argue that companies can negate this trend with "loyalty ladders," their comprehensive customer service plan that converts prospects into shoppers and customers to clients and finally advocates of the firm's product. Augmented with case studies (Nordstrom; the GE Answer Center), interviews and media tips (telemarketing; radio), the Raphels develop pragmatic tactics in this effective assessment of product and company positioning, business growth, customer behavior patterns and product promotions. Murray self-published Tough Selling for Tough Times; Neil is a New Jersey attorney.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Raphels certainly aren't short on enthusiasm and energy. And although they seem to be an amalgam of Tom Peters, the Guerrilla Marketing authority, and almost any other customer-focused consultant who gets ideas published, they're long on common sense and good advice. The authors' framework is novel; each of the five "loyalty ladder" steps, from prospect to advocate, features case histories, interviews, promotion and advertising tips, and David Letterman^-type lists, all in a short and snappy format bound to gain and maintain attention. Some of their more unusual stories, angles, and tips include using the back of business cards for messages; the observation that confidence is the number-one reason people buy when they buy; and the slogan, "Promise a lot and deliver more." The Raphels do just that, in a manner designed to take the mystery out of marketing. Barbara Jacobs

Marketing consultants and seminar leaders who have managed a retail business for over 40 years, the Raphels have written a guide to developing customer advocates: those customers "who tell anyone who will listen how great your business is." Customer advocates, the authors claim, are also responsible for most business sales. Recent books on customer loyalty-Jill Griffin's Customer Loyalty: How To Earn It, How To Keep It (Lexington Bks., 1995) and Joan K. Cannie's Turning Lost Customers into Gold and the Art of Achieving Zero Defections (AMACOM, 1993)-provide a slightly different treatment of the same topic. This book excels by being both chatty and informative. Focusing on retail businesses but equally applicable to service enterprises, it offers numerous case studies and practical guidelines for increasing profits, which will make it a favorite of small-business owners. Strongly recommended for public libraries.
Kathy Shimpock-Vieweg, O'Connor-Cavanagh Lib., Phoenix
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.