Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 8, 2011

Know your customers intimately. Never settling, IBM management charged a taskforce with developing a personal computer to compete in the young, growing market for smaller, more versatile machines. Newly appointed CEO Lou Gerstner logged thousands of hours visiting customers, industry experts and analysts.

Customer Intimacy 16

Customer Intimacy How To Mass Marketing System 16

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 30, 2013

Yet at the same time they use these standards as a springboard for creating unique solutions for each customer based on a deep understanding of their needs. (I I call this understanding and tailoring "customer intimacy" ). The result is a powerful combination that fulfills two customer value propositions at the same time.

Operations 8

Operations Customer Intimacy Supply Chain Wiersema 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 12, 2014

Customer tracking data is typically sent to the location analytics vendor where it is analyzed and accessed via online dashboards that provide actionable data tailored to the needs of specific employees — from the store manager to the executive C-suite. We are in the Age of the Customer.

Retail 12

Retail Customer Intimacy Apparel Wireless 12

Harvard Business Review

JULY 29, 2013

We spoke with Mike Moorman, a senior leader in ZS Associates'' B2B sales and marketing practice and a leading authority on sales management, about how inside sales (which refers to sales positions done remotely from headquarters, without face-to-face meetings with clients) is transforming the way that B2B companies interact with their customers.

B2B 11

B2B Power Market Segmentation Customer Intimacy 11

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

Seed investors are mostly operating as growth investors, expecting that the entrepreneur will somehow manage to bridge the gap and bring a concept to realization. Through these kinds of dialogues, entrepreneurs diagnose real pain-points in customers, and end up building products that customers are willing to pay for.

Products 10

Products Productivity Customer Intimacy Benchmarking 10

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 17, 2015

In this article we look at three very different organizations – IBM, Rich Products, and Intuit – and the three different paths they have taken in reconfiguring their operations for more customer intimacy, by changing methods, reengineering processes, and transforming culture. IBM: Applying a Hybrid Design-Thinking Approach.

Products 8

Products Productivity Customer Intimacy Software 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 24, 2013

having sacrificed customer intimacy for increased operational excellence gains through widespread cost cutting, are well documented. The danger is that their management approaches cannot sense or respond to shocks. Organizational managers and leaders should be worrying about fragility in the face of such shocks.

Organization 8

Organization Supply Chain Customer Intimacy Stress 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 13, 2015

Heat map data can then be used to compare stores and departments (or theoretically, even create rankings of employees) which all could be used to optimize the retail experience for particular customer segments. The digital tools we describe here deliver this elixir.

Retail 8

Retail Customer Intimacy Loyalty Real Estate 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 3, 2015

Example: Carol owns a small business and needs a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Supporters: These customers are aware of your company and brand, and buy from you consciously. They may be willing to share their opinions, skills, relationships, and even their real assets (cars, apartments, etc.)

CRM 8

CRM Brand Business Model Intangible Assets 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 18, 2013

By addressing common (and often difficult) questions in such an up-front way, the impression customers get, said Sheridan, is "Oh my gosh, these guys are so honest.". Developing customer trust requires managing interactions sensitively in an environment of increased transparency. This transparency works both ways.

Customer Intimacy 11

Customer Intimacy Supply Chain Human Resources Market Segmentation 11