Winning on Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy of Loving Customers

by Fred Reichheld, Darci Darnell, Maureen Burns

Overview

Great leaders embrace a higher purpose to win. The Net Promoter System shines as their guiding star.

Few management ideas have spread so far and wide as the Net Promoter System (NPS). Since its conception almost two decades ago by customer loyalty guru Fred Reichheld, thousands of companies around the world have adopted it—from industrial titans such as Mercedes-Benz and Cummins to tech giants like Apple and Amazon to digital innovators such as Warby Parker and Peloton.

Now, Reichheld has raised the bar yet again. In Winning on Purpose, he demonstrates that the primary purpose of a business should be to enrich the lives of its customers. Why? Because when customers feel this love, they come back for more and bring their friends—generating good profits. This is NPS 3.0 and it puts a new take on the age-old Golden Rule—treat customers the way you would want a loved one treated—at the heart of enduring business success. As the compelling examples in this book illustrate, companies with superior NPS consistently deliver higher returns to shareholders across a wide array of industries.

But winning on purpose isn't easy. Reichheld also explains why many NPS practitioners achieve just a small fraction of the system's full potential, and he presents the newest thinking and best practices for doing NPS right. He unveils the Earned Growth Rate (EGR): the first reliable, complementary accounting measure that can truly leverage the power of NPS.

With keen insight and moving personal stories, Reichheld advances the thinking and practice of NPS. Winning on Purpose is your indispensable guide for inspiring customer love within your own teams and using Net Promoter to achieve both personal and business success.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647821784
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	138,002
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Fred Reichheld is the creator of the Net Promoter system of management, the founder of Bain & Company's Loyalty practice, and the author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller The Ultimate Question 2.0. He is currently a Fellow and Senior Advisory Partner at Bain, where he has worked since 1977. He divides his time between Cape Cod and Miami.

Darci Darnell is the global head of Bain's Customer practice. She has served in multiple global leadership roles and today sits on the firm's top elected governance committee. She is based in Chicago.

Maureen Burns is a Senior Partner in Bain's Customer practice. She is one of Bain's foremost experts on the Net Promoter System and Customer Loyalty. She is based in Boston.

You can find more about Fred Reichheld at:
bain.com/our-team/fred-reichheld linkedin.com/in/fredreichheld twitter.com/fredreichheld?lang=en

Table of Contents

Foreword John Donahoe, CEO, Nike, Inc. ix

Preface: The Genesis of Net Promoter xiii

Introduction: Know Your Purpose 1

Then Live It

1 Lead with Love 13

The Unbeatable Purpose

2 Aim for Greatness 25

Everybody Can Be Great

3 Love Your Customers 39

The Quintessence of Customer Capitalism

4 Inspire Your Teams 67

To Embrace a Life of Meaning and Service

5 Respect Your Investors 89

They Win Only When Your Customers Are Loyal

6 Honor the Golden Rule 115

But First, Understand It

7 Be Remarkable 141

Not Merely Satisfactory

8 Be Persistent 165

Build Culture-Reinforcing Systems

9 Be Humble 189

Net Promoter 3.0 and Beyond

Appendix A Net Promoter 3.0 Checklist 211

Appendix B Calculating Earned Growth 221

Notes 227

Index 235

Acknowledgments 247

About the Authors 253

Editorial Reviews

"…a clear and passionate argument for companies focusing singularly on making the lives of their customers better—a thought-provoking thesis as more businesses shift from a primary focus on serving shareholders to embracing the values of stakeholder capitalism." — Charter

Advance Praise for Winning on Purpose:

"[Reichheld's] most important work to date. It proves that the primary purpose guiding all great organizations is to enrich the lives of customers." — John Donahoe, CEO, Nike (from the Foreword)

"Reichheld is a true pioneer in his field . . . his practical ideas earn a high Net Promoter Score." — Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author, Think Again; host, TED WorkLife podcast

"Reichheld has again delivered a compelling and remarkable piece on winning through customer loyalty . . . 'Do the right thing' and read the book!" — Andrew C. Taylor, Executive Chairman, Enterprise Holdings

"This book is fantastic! Net Promoter is more relevant than ever in the digital world." — Brad Olson, Chief Business Officer, Peloton

"[Reichheld's] thinking has influenced our organization for decades, and he has raised the bar once again." — Tim Buckley, Chairman and CEO, Vanguard

"This book shows how NPS provides companies with both a moral compass and a powerful tool for success." — Zeynep Ton, professor, MIT Sloan School of Management; author, The Good Jobs Strategy

"Winning on Purpose confirms [Reichheld] as the unquestioned leader in his field. It's a must-read for any businessperson pursuing sustainable success." — Walt Bettinger, President and CEO, Charles Schwab

"Reichheld has changed the business community forever, first with Net Promoter and now with Earned Growth. Every entrepreneur should read this book." — Dave Gilboa, cofounder and co-CEO, Warby Parker

From the Publisher