The One to One B2B: Customer Relationship Management Strategies for the Real Economy

Those who have already read any of Peppers and Rogers' previous books (The One to One Future, Enterprise One to One, The One to One Fieldbook with Bob Dorf, and The One to One Manager) no doubt share my high regard for their uniquely creative as well as highly analytical thinking about CRM within the global marketplace. They continue to draw upon an abundance of real-world experience. This book may well be their most important thus far. In it, they suggest and then explain a number of strategies to create and then sustain solid relationships with B2B customers. Even if your organization is not currently involved in such relationships, these same strategies can also be of substantial value. Once again, the authors' essential idea (hardly original, they realize) is that businesses as well as most other human communities (e.g. a political constituency, a religious following, a military force) share at least this in common: Each is built one believer at a time to serve mutual self-interests. In this sense, the term "B2B" is a misnomer because people do business with other people. (Rest assured, I fully understand the differences between and among B2B, B2C, and B2B2C.) Even when purchases are completed electronically, they are initiated and fulfilled by people. Goods are manufactured by people. Services are provided by people. And so forth.Over the years, when customers have been asked to cross-rank attributes of greatest importance to them, "Feeling Appreciated" and "Convenience" or "Ease of Doing Business" are either #1 or #2. (Remarkably, "Price" is usually ranked between 9th and 14th in order of importance.) It is also worth noting that, as Peppers and Rogers carefully explain in this book, as new efficiencies are created by breakthrough technologies, the quality of one-to-one human interaction becomes even more important. They include five case studies, including one which examines the policies and procedures of Dell Computer. Somehow, they gained access to information which is probably otherwise unavailable, except to those involved in the Dell organization. Each of the case studies reads as if it were a one-act play. However different their "characters" and "plot" may be, all five companies are literally customer-driven. Their ultimate objective is not to achieve "customer satisfaction"; rather, as Jeffrey Gitomer and others have insisted, their ultimate objective is sustainable "customer loyalty" (indeed "customer passion"). Peppers and Rogers provide a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system to achieve that objective. They would be the first to recommend that each reader make appropriate modifications of that system to accommodate the specific CRM needs, interests, and resources of her or his own organization. Earlier, I suggested that this may well be the most important book Peppers and Rogers have written thus far. The system they provide in it is worthless, however, unless and until an organization involved in B2B is wholly comm

After reading many books about CRM/Marketing One-One, my opinion is this book has to be read as soon as possible. You might have read others like me but this one is a plus. Buy it, read it, apply it, let it pass 6 months, then read it again. Finally, post here how much it helped you. It includes pratical stuff (case studies) of leading companies (Dell, Convergys, etc). This book has to be seen as a complement to others previously written by same authors.

Peppers & Rogers are definitely the heavyweight champions of customer-centric marketing. This new book continues their odyssey from theory to practice. Each of the case studies are like mini-novels, complete with plot twists and cliff-hangers. For a business book, this is exceptionally well written and very accessible. It's a good read, for newcomers and experienced one-to-one marketers.Peppers' & Rogers' stories are fresh and unique. Even the chapter about Dell reveals aspects of that company that are rarely discussed with outsiders. It's amazing that they were able to get such detail from companies that are usually tight-lipped about their CRM strategies. Worthwhile reading for managers who need to go beyond CRM hype and learn from the real, and sometimes painful, experiences of others. This book is well-researched and crisply written.

Don Peppers and Martha Rogers continue to prove their exceptional understanding of the possibilities of CRM. Their latest book does an excellent job of illustrating the practical execution of theoretical concepts in customer relations. The case studies are vivid descriptions of real-life situations, and are as exciting as they are informative. In general, the writing is a cut above that of a typical business book, which makes absorbing the information that much easier. A vital guide for those trying to understand CRM, or those who want to do it better.

This is an important new book on several levels. First and foremost, it is packed with details about how five organizations are working to build closer, more sustainable relationships with their customers. It offers far and away the most detailed, engrossing profile available of what it takes to accommodate the differences between each valuable customer.Unlike past Peppers and Rogers books, this one focuses specifically on B2B relationships, which, as the authors point out, are unique in many ways: there are customers within customers, a few large customers tend to dominate, relationships are made complex by channel relationships, and there are often good reasons to invest in training your customers.Perhaps because B2B relationships have so many facets, there's a startling amount of knowledge and insight in this book. This is not a book about theory, but rather one about the actual practice of relationship management. The authors are less strategists and more skilled reporters. It's surprising they got permission to reveal so much of these companies' internal efforts, but the results make must reading. In the spirit of full disclosure, I've known Don and Martha a long time, and believe in wisdom of their ideas. But that hasn't stopped me from offering constructive criticism in the past. Not here. This is a great book, instantly valuable and worth leaving work early to read.