Reinventing the Wheel: The Science of Creating Lifetime Customers

by Chris Zane

When Chris Zane bought his bicycle shop at age 16, his business struggled until he discovered the secret that catapulted his store into one of the top three in the country. His secret Provide unbelievable, over-the-top, excessively generous customer service.Chris Zane isn't a management consultant or professor preaching a theory of customer service; he's a hands-on entrepreneur whose customer service approach has yielded enormous success. Zane has become a business celebrity, including being featured in a recent round of American Express television ads. American Express is also supporting Zane's latest venture - expanding Zane's Cycles into a nationwide chain.In Reinventing the Wheel, commonly overlooked elements that make a business exceptional are revealed. Zane produces a case study unlike any other - one that shows the importance of investing in customers and employees and how retailers are really selling experiences, not products. His philosophies and tried-and-true methods of guerilla marketing will show entrepreneurs and business owners how to knock out the competition while thriving in any kind of economy and doing good for the community along the way.

Genres: Business

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Valentina Thoerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made it immediately into my "favorite business book list". If you have a customer-facing company, this is a must-read.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking regarding customer experience and customer service without being obvious or preachy.

[megan-redwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

although grounded in a customer-centric & service sentiment a lot of the book reads like how to beat the competition / put your competitors out of business. the ideas are solid when it comes to how to change your mindset about making experiences though, & so shifting how you think you operate. some points get a little redundant but the book isn't very long & reads quickly so it's okay. it also kind of made me want to buy a bicycle so i would count that as a pretty good selling point.

[Eric Fitzsimmons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not particularly enamored of business books, I do like the practices he is encouraging but the very form requires a flattening of the world (and a tooting of one's own horn) that makes me anxious to get back into something meatier.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

On one hand--I love Chris Zane, and I love his philosophy. The stories are great. On the other hand, this book was seriously in need of an agressive editor.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in moving their business forward this is a great book.