Bøker av Noel Capon

Customers Win, Suppliers Win: Lessons from One of IBM's Most Successful Strategic Account Managers by Noel Capon and Gus Maikish vividly draws account management best practices from IBM's up and down fortunes since the 1970s. In the process, it also offers an illuminating insider perspective on Big Blue's best and worst times - as experienced in day-to-day interactions with some of its most important customers. The book's most provocative takeaway: IBM's services-led sales strategy has often hindered, rather than helped, efforts to achieve a fruitful long-term synergy of high margin hardware and software sales with low-margin services sales. The 1990s breakup of the salesforce to serve rival line of business organizations and the 2002 acquisition of PwC Consulting emerge as culture-shaking events for IBM that could only be turned to advantage by great account management. In this new book, Capon and Maikish provide an A to Z of account management excellence, including its significantintellectual capital demands, leadership requirements, and under-appreciated ethical dimension as keys to achievingwin-win outcomes for suppliers and customers. The book does this through case studies of three extended account management engagements that were highly significant for IBM in the 1970s and 1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s. Along the way, it presents a provocative look at what really fueled IBM's success in its best times, including its 1990s resurgence under then-CEO Lou Gerstner, and what caused the firm to struggle in its worst times, including the 2010s. Anyone who wants to understand why IBM is once again in rebuilding mode will find much food for thought here.

Customers Win, Suppliers Win: Lessons from One of IBM's Most Successful Strategic Account Managers by Noel Capon and Gus Maikish vividly draws account management best practices from IBM's up and down fortunes since the 1970s. In the process, it also offers an illuminating insider perspective on Big Blue's best and worst times - as experienced in day-to-day interactions with some of its most important customers. The book's most provocative takeaway: IBM's services-led sales strategy has often hindered, rather than helped, efforts to achieve a fruitful long-term synergy of high margin hardware and software sales with low-margin services sales. The 1990s breakup of the salesforce to serve rival line of business organizations and the 2002 acquisition of PwC Consulting emerge as culture-shaking events for IBM that could only be turned to advantage by great account management. In this new book, Capon and Maikish provide an A to Z of account management excellence, including its significantintellectual capital demands, leadership requirements, and under-appreciated ethical dimension as keys to achievingwin-win outcomes for suppliers and customers. The book does this through case studies of three extended accountmanagement engagements that were highly significant for IBM in the 1970s and 1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s.Along the way, it presents a provocative look at what really fueled IBM's success in its best times, including its 1990sresurgence under then-CEO Lou Gerstner, and what caused the firm to struggle in its worst times, including the 2010s.Anyone who wants to understand why IBM is once again in rebuilding mode will find much food for thought here.

In The Front-Line Sales Manager - Field General, our perspective is very straightforward. We believe the firm succeeds or fails based on the performance of its sellers. If sellers succeed in making their sales goals, all things equal, the firm makes profits, survives, and grows, and shareholder value increases. Conversely, if sellers fail, the firm fails, and no one gets a paycheck! Just ask former employees at Blockbuster, Kodak, Lotus, Sun, Toys 'R' Us, or any of the other tens of thousands of business organizations that fail annually. The key influence on seller success in today's complex and ever-changing business environment is the sellers' direct supervisor-the front-line sales manager. The FLSM hires and fires sellers, travels and visits customers with sellers, and closes sales with sellers. The FLSM leads, directs, and manages sellers; secures firm resources to assist the selling process; and is, by far, the dominant influence in sellers' work lives. Regrettably, the sales management literature has not given FLSMs the level of attention this role deserves. The Front-Line Sales Manager - Field General aims to redress this unfortunate reality.

The vastly increased level of competitive intensity faced by corporations and the increased costs of selling have radically changed the nature of the traditional selling process. Key or "strategic" accounts have now become a company's most important asset, in some cases supplying in excess of 80 percent of a firm's revenues. Here, in one powerful volume, key account management expert Noel Capon provides the most comprehensive treatment of key account management and planning yet published. For the first time, Capon introduces his breakthrough four-part "congruence model" of key account management -- a new, thoroughly researched approach to optimally managing your key account portfolio. First, the author shows how to select and conceptualize the key account portfolio; second, how to organize and manage key accounts; third, how to recruit, select, train, retain, and reward key account managers; and fourth, how to formulate and execute strategy and issues of coordination and control. This congruence model serves as a backdrop as Capon takes the reader step-by-step through the vital functions of key account management including identifying key account criteria, considering the threats and opportunities for the key account, and understanding the roles and responsibilities of critical players. Capon backs up his points with extensive research, real-life stories of successes and failures at a variety of companies, and clarifying figures. Special chapters are devoted to partnering with key accounts and in-depth information on global key account management, an increasingly important weapon for staying ahead of the competition.Timely, important, and essential, Key Account Management and Planning is the only reference handbook those with key account responsibilities will ever need.