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Align: Get Your Team on the Same Page, Discover Clients' Needs, Develop Better Products
Understanding what customers want is neither easy nor obvious — but it is essential for all companies. In this guide, expert Laura Reese walks you through the pitfalls and possibilities of customer interactions. Focusing on business-to-business fields, she demonstrates how to run face-to-face meetings that solicit valuable feedback and shares simple techniques for unlocking meaningful insights into a client's needs.
You will learn how to cultivate an aligning mind-set within your company and among your own team by defining clear roles for each member. In addition to step-by-step guides for running customer alignment meetings, the book outlines specific skills for improving engagement with customers. Based on concepts of proven effectiveness, these tools will help transform a disparate group into a unified team of professionals working toward the same goal of discovering valuable customer insights.
"In the world of product development, be it semiconductors or anything else for that matter, big bets are placed on building the product the customer really needs. At Altera, Laura Reese energetically engaged on a mission to master the art of understanding what the customer really truly wants, digging through the layers of what to get to the far more valuable understanding of why . In this journey she developed a strategy for customer engagement to overcome the challenges of confirmation bias and other aspects of human nature-driven obstacles to the truth. In doing so, she created intellectual honesty in Altera's understanding of customers' needs, leading to some of the best products Altera has ever produced. The techniques she describes are applicable to any kind of uncovering exercise required to achieve an understanding of what is really required. I am delighted that she has been able to share her insights through this book." — Richard Cliff, CTO, Altera Corporation
You will learn how to cultivate an aligning mind-set within your company and among your own team by defining clear roles for each member. In addition to step-by-step guides for running customer alignment meetings, the book outlines specific skills for improving engagement with customers. Based on concepts of proven effectiveness, these tools will help transform a disparate group into a unified team of professionals working toward the same goal of discovering valuable customer insights.
"In the world of product development, be it semiconductors or anything else for that matter, big bets are placed on building the product the customer really needs. At Altera, Laura Reese energetically engaged on a mission to master the art of understanding what the customer really truly wants, digging through the layers of what to get to the far more valuable understanding of why . In this journey she developed a strategy for customer engagement to overcome the challenges of confirmation bias and other aspects of human nature-driven obstacles to the truth. In doing so, she created intellectual honesty in Altera's understanding of customers' needs, leading to some of the best products Altera has ever produced. The techniques she describes are applicable to any kind of uncovering exercise required to achieve an understanding of what is really required. I am delighted that she has been able to share her insights through this book." — Richard Cliff, CTO, Altera Corporation
272 pages, Hardcover
Published February 13, 2019
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 17, 2019
I loved the promises that the title of this book made,” to discover clients needs, make better products,” yet I’m afraid I was disappointed.
The process outlined may be suited to large organisations and consultants with extensive teams, ie internal teams and external teams, and who can invest resources in a very specific (perhaps arduous) process but I don’t think it is helpful for smaller companies and teams.
Having worked for large national and international companies before starting my own consultancy, I struggled with the author’s need to detail how high level and specific the process needs to be with comments such as, “...assume you don’t take regular and rigorous notes. That will have to be rectified for customer alignment meetings,” and the need to describe how breaks work within the context of full-day meetings! Contrast this with, “Remember this is an advanced technique and should only be attempted by teams of professionals who know how to execute the tactic together,” and perhaps you’ll get what I’m trying to say?
Of course, there are some useful techniques and thoughts, eg: the importance of setting expectations, learning customer goals and challenges, the importance of having the right people in the room, of active listening, but not ones that were new to me.
With many thanks to the author, the publishers, Dover Publications, and NetGalley for my free copy to review.
The process outlined may be suited to large organisations and consultants with extensive teams, ie internal teams and external teams, and who can invest resources in a very specific (perhaps arduous) process but I don’t think it is helpful for smaller companies and teams.
Having worked for large national and international companies before starting my own consultancy, I struggled with the author’s need to detail how high level and specific the process needs to be with comments such as, “...assume you don’t take regular and rigorous notes. That will have to be rectified for customer alignment meetings,” and the need to describe how breaks work within the context of full-day meetings! Contrast this with, “Remember this is an advanced technique and should only be attempted by teams of professionals who know how to execute the tactic together,” and perhaps you’ll get what I’m trying to say?
Of course, there are some useful techniques and thoughts, eg: the importance of setting expectations, learning customer goals and challenges, the importance of having the right people in the room, of active listening, but not ones that were new to me.
With many thanks to the author, the publishers, Dover Publications, and NetGalley for my free copy to review.
February 21, 2019
Fantastic read for business. Reese, a former Silicon Valley engineer has a strategic mind for business and she explains her strategy in a way that I have never seen before in a business nonfiction.
February 25, 2019
Align presents practical, actionable advice that you can put into practice straight away. Former Silicon Valley Engineer, Laura Reese explains why the tips work, as well as what can go wrong when the team doesn't know all the techniques for aligning.
I especially liked the part where she shared her research on memory. I always think I can remember what I'm hearing in a meeting, and take sparse notes. But she's convinced me that my memory really can't be trusted!
Something that is so interesting and unique about Align is that to supplement the book she has these cool videos on her website:
https://laurareesealign.com/
I have never seen anything like it, and I'm guessing this will be the future of business and "how to" nonfiction.
If you're in business or corporate America and want a look inside the brain of a Silicon Valley engineer who worked her way to the top you have go to check out this book.
Impressed. Read it and use it to get to the top of your game.
I especially liked the part where she shared her research on memory. I always think I can remember what I'm hearing in a meeting, and take sparse notes. But she's convinced me that my memory really can't be trusted!
Something that is so interesting and unique about Align is that to supplement the book she has these cool videos on her website:
https://laurareesealign.com/
I have never seen anything like it, and I'm guessing this will be the future of business and "how to" nonfiction.
If you're in business or corporate America and want a look inside the brain of a Silicon Valley engineer who worked her way to the top you have go to check out this book.
Impressed. Read it and use it to get to the top of your game.
February 21, 2019
An excellent book on business and strategy!
May 24, 2019
The book covers information and tips that are applicable in a corporate environment. Author provides good insights on different corporate roles, how to plan and lead a meeting with a corporate client, how to align the team members for great team performance and results while dealing with customer. Unfortunately, not applicable to very small businesses and/or startups. The book is focused on corporate environment. Still with this particular focus it provides a very good information for people who just strayed working with big clients, very good information on customer-facing and not customer facing roles. Sometimes non customer facing employees think they do not need to align with the rest of the team which is a wrong perception. The author gives good grounds on why and how all teams in corporation should work together for customers' and company's success.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews