Business Credit Services

In a world where customers regard flawless products as a given, service is the key differentiator between competitors in any field. This wise and inspiring book by Leonard Berry, our leading service expert, moves far beyond his pioneering work in services marketing and service quality to explain how great service companies meet their toughest challenge: sustaining long-term success. From Berry's exacting study of fourteen mature, highly successful, labor-intensive companies comes an astonishing revelation: the single most important factor in building a lasting service business is not a matter of savvy business practice, but of humane values. In all fourteen award-winning companies -- Bergstrom Hotels, The Charles Schwab Corporation, Chick-fil-A, The Container Store, Custom Research Inc., Dana Commercial Credit, Dial-A-Mattress, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Midwest Express Airlines, Miller SQA, Special Expeditions, St. Paul Saints, USAA, and Ukrop's Super Markets -- values-driven leadership connects with strategic focus, executional excellence, control of destiny, trust-based relationships, generosity, investment in employee success, acting small, and brand cultivation to drive customer satisfaction, innovation, and growth. Dedicating a chapter to each of these nine drivers, this book is the most far-reaching and insightful vision ever presented of the principles and step-by-step actions that continuously bring success to life in a company. Berry's comprehensive model reveals the soul that underlies the strategies and day-to-day operations of great service companies, guiding the thousands of daily decisions of individual employees. Clear, compelling, pathbreaking, Discovering the Soul ofService is essential reading for managers everywhere.

This book presents a comparative analysis of seven case studies that challenge some of the current beliefs about good practice in the provision of business development services (BDS) to small and micro enterprises. It also highlights issues around the assessment of impact, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of such services.Three services were given particular attention in the case studies: marketing, access to technology, and business and management skills acquisition. The case study projects were drawn from Bolivia, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe. Each of the projects introduced small producers to new production and marketing systems and successfully promoted private sector participation. The analysis of these experiences looks at the feasibility of market-based BDS provision and the role of nongovernmental organizations in building BDS markets.The research discussed here makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate regarding market and demand based provision of nonfinancial services to existing and potential small and micro entrepreneurs and businesses in the Southern countries. This debate has been influenced by the success to date in standardizing and commercializing micro-credit programs. This book argues that to reach and assist small producers, BDS often need to be designed and provided in a multifaceted and flexible manner.