Robert Spector

In Amazon.com Jeff Bezos built something the world had never seen. He created the most recognized brand name on the Internet, became for a time one of the richest men in the world, and was crowned "the king of cyber-commerce." Yet for all the media exposure, the inside story of Amazon.com has never really been told. In this revealing, unauthorized account, Robert Spector, journalist and best-selling author, gives us this up-to-date, fast-paced, behind-the-scenes story of the company's creation and rise, its tumultuous present, and its uncertain future.

Get Big Fast

Amazon.com

breAnne O. Reeves

Introduction -- Trust -- Respect -- Loyalty -- Awareness -- Humility -- Communication and collaboration -- Competition and compensation -- Innovation and adaptation -- Give back and have fun

Creating a Values-Driven Service Culture

The Nordstrom Way to Customer Experience Excellence

Patrick D. McCarthy

The Insider Story of America's #1 Customer Service Company (Norddstrom Way)

The Nordstrom Way

Recounts the history of the department store chain noted for its emphasis on customer service, and describes its business and personnel policies

The Insider Story of America's #1 Customer Service Company

Business journalist Robert Spector grew up working in his family's butcher shop in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where he learned invaluable lessons about the independent retail business. Mom & pop stores have always brought people together, fostering a sense of neighborhood identity and camaraderie, and are the glue that connects people in big cities and small towns alike. Long fascinated by the "direct connection" people feel as merchants and customers when they do business in neighborhood stores, at shops that are not super-sized, but human-sized, and responding to the growing "buy local" movement across the country, Spector set out to discover the state, and the state of mind, of independent retailing in America. From a specialty soda pop shop in Los Angeles to a florist shop in Dayton, Ohio, from a bakery in Chicago to a bookstore in Washington State, mom & pop store owners shared their stories with him, revealing the spirit and tenacity of the small business owner, dealing with frustration and defeat as well as triumph and success. Spector also interweaves the history of independent retailing. The Mom & Pop Store reflects the story of this country, for it embraces and cross-references every ethnic group, and virtually every element of our society.

True Stories from the Heart of America

The Mom & Pop Store

In Amazon.com Jeff Bezos built something the world had never seen. He created the most recognized brand name on the Internet and became one of the richest men in the world. He was recently named Time magazine's Person of the Year and was crowned "the king of cybercommerce." Yet for all the success and all the media exposure, the inside story of Amazon.com has never really been told. In this revealing, unauthorized account of Amazon's astounding rise, Robert Spector, journalist and bestselling author, gives us the fastpaced, behind-the-scenes true story of the company's creation, its tumultuous present, and its uncertain future. By talking to friends, confidants, early employees, rivals, publishing executives, stock analysts, and venture capitalists, Spector goes beyond the "official story"-the glib, polished, media-savvy statements that Bezos feeds to the press-and presents in unprecedented detail the real facts of the company's beginnings, innovations, business practices, and strategies, and its vision of the future. Further, he explains what the Amazon story means for conventional business, e-commerce, and ultimately the consumer. Bezos's first employers tell how the experience he gained at their firms prepared him for creating Amazon.com. Early investors reveal the details of Bezos's initial pitch for money. Former company insiders divulge how painstakingly Amazon.com's internal systems were put together. And the story becomes more compelling all the time as Amazon finds itself under attack by the formerly Internetchallenged behemoth retailers, by online startups trying to eat Bezos's lunch, and by impatient investors waiting for the company to turn a profit. (Amazon lost an incredible $720 million in 1999.) Amazon.com's emergence as an e-commerce powerhouse has set off tremors around the world, jolting the "bricks and mortar" retailing giants, and forever changing the way everyone does business. But has Jeff Bezos finally run out of time? Will his great achievement be remembered as a footnote to the opening era of the Internet age? Or will this wily, overachieving self-described nerd triumph once again and surprise fans and foes alike?

A new ""how-to"" version of a customer service classic First published in 1995, The Nordstrom Way has consistently been one of the bestselling backlist books on customer service, with over 100,000 copies sold. This new book replaces The Nordstrom Way with an even more practical guide to becoming the ""Nordstrom"" of your industry. It is designed for customer service managers and trainers, who will find it an invaluable resource for designing their own training programs. Through training exercises, hiring questionnaires, and customer service development tools, the authors not only explain the.

The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence

First published in 1995, The Nordstrom Way is a classic guide to great customer service. This new book replaces The Nordstrom Way with an even more practical guide to becoming the “Nordstrom” of your industry. Designed for customer service managers and trainers, as well as business owners, it’s an invaluable resource for designing your own programs and initiatives. The authors not only explain the principles of the world’s best customer service company, they also show you how to implement them in your own organization. The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence will help your business make customers its number one concern, and help make your business number one in your industry.

A Handbook For Implementing Great Service in Your Organization

This book focuses on the customer service principles espoused by the Nordstrom department store chain, a legend in retailing and customer service. It shows how the Nordstrom customer service culture can work in any company or industry -- computer repair centers, bicycle shops, medical clinics, credit unions, and more. The book features case studies from many companies that have successfully adopted and adapted the lessons from The Nordstrom Way, the author's successful book about the founding of Nordstrom and the beliefs the Nordstrom family imparts to its employees. Helps other companies apply Nordstrom's principles to their own customer service practices Provides lessons on how to find and focus on customer needs, follow-up, and ensure customer satisfaction

How Companies are Emulating the #1 Customer Service Company

Lessons from the Nordstrom Way

Praise for The Nordstrom Way . . . "Outstanding customer service and Nordstrom's are synonymous. The innovative approach has allowed them to find out what the customers want and then do it. Their standards of service are what we all shoot for."—David D. Glass, President and Chief Executive Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. "Nordstrom is a national model for outstanding customer service. American business should use this book as a primer to learn how to make and keep happy, satisfied customers."—Willard Marriott, Jr., Chairman and President, Marriott International, Inc. "When you run a family business that includes your customers as extended family, you're unbeatable. This book outlines an American family saga that has become the admiration of the world."—Leonard A. Lauder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Estée Lauder Companies. "Nordstrom's business is built on one-to-one communication with the customer. Their professional salespeople bridge the gap between the designer and the consumer. The Nordstrom Way is what the '90s are all about!"—Donna Karan, Designer and Chief Executive Officer, Donna Karan Company.

The Inside Story of America's #1 Customer Service Company

The Nordstrom Way shows the direct link between empowering your employees and creating a long-term relationship with your customers. More businesses should follow Nordstrom's example. —Howard Schultz, Chairman, Starbucks Coffee Virtually every company wants to be the Nordstrom of their industry. Nordstrom is one of only five companies to make Fortune's "best companies to work for" and "most admired" list every year the surveys have been taken. Despite its position in the hard-hit retail sector, Nordstrom, with 193 stores in 28 states, never experienced a quarterly loss during the recent economic downturn. The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service, Second Edition explains what every business can learn from the world's most famous customer-service-driven company. New material in this revised edition includes: "How To Become The Nordstrom Of Your Industry" Tools for creating a customer-driven culture Chapters on Nordstrom's online customer service and the innovative social commerce features of its website Breakthroughs on Nordstrom's multi-channel approach to customer service Nordstrom follows a set of principles that has made it a leader in its industry. Discover what endears Nordstrom to its customers, and learn how to apply those same standards to your company.

Robert Spector

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