Strategy from the Outside in: Profiting from Customer Value

Shareholder value . . . core competence . . .six sigma . . . right sizing . . . These influential strategy ideas have lured many companies into a dangerous internal focus, viewing the world from the inside out. As a result, companies lose sight of the market, which leads to poor results over the long run. Inside-out thinking distracts companies from the core purpose of a business: to create and serve customers.

Fulfilling that purpose can be done only by approaching strategy from the outside in. In this refreshing look at creating enduring business value, two business school professors from The Wharton School and The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, challenge you to shift your perspective. They demonstrate that companies that adopt--and fight to keep--an outside-in view focused on customer value have grown revenue, profit, and shareholder value through both boom and bust business cycles.

Applying years of research, George S. Day and Christine Moorman illustrate that an outside-in view requires constant vigilance and focus on four customer value imperatives: Be a customer value leader Innovate new value for customers Capitalize on the customer as an asset Capitalize on the brand as an asset

Only companies that operate with an outside-in view from the C-suite to the front lines can expect to maximize and profit from customer value.

"Strategy from the Outside In" puts you ahead of the competition and, just as important, keeps you there.
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Praise for "Strategy from the Outside In"

"Throughout P&G's long history, we have focused on the four customer value imperatives outlined in this excellent book--and are as committed to them today as ever. This is essential reading for leaders focused on making a positive difference in the world and, as a direct result, delivering growth for both the near and long term."
--Robert A. McDonald, Chairman, President, and CEO, The Procter & Gamble Company

""Strategy from the Outside In" is thought-provoking, practical, and full of ideas on how to strengthen your company's customer value proposition."
--Tom Lynch, CEO, Tyco Electronics Corporation

"American Express's success has rested largely on our ability to focus on our customers and adapt to their changing needs over the past 160 years. "Strategy from the Outside In" is an insightful book with practical advice about how to do just that."
--Jud Linville, President and CEO Consumer Services, American Express

"An in-depth look into the basic premise of what, in my view, makes successful business. Certainly worth reading once and then once every year to remind all of us what keeps us in business. For marketers, a great benchmark to help focus on how to add value most effectively."
--Geert van Kuyck, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Royal Philips Electronics

"Sam Walton said 'there's only one boss--the customer'. At Walmart we try to stay focused on that every day. But how? "Strategy from the Outside In" provides a blueprint for how to build a trusted brand based on consistently providing superior value to customers."
--Stephen Quinn, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart

"Getting your company to organize around what customers value most sounds easy in theory, but it's very hard to do consistently well. Day and Moorman provide a thoughtful, realistic, and actionable blueprint for delivering the most value to your most valuable customers."
--Beth Comstock, Chief Marketing Officer, GE

"Only a few books can really help marketing professionals make a difference in their organization. "Strategy from the Outside In" falls into this category. Creating superior customer value is or should be a priority of all marketers. Here, Day and Moorman provide a clear path for delivering on such value. Most important, their work is based on the real-world successes (and failures) of organizations which they have studied."
--Dennis Dunlap, CEO, American Marketing Association

""Strategy from the Outside In" offers a refreshing reminder that answers to managers' most pressing questions always start by looking outside the organization and meeting consumer needs better than the other guys It provides a combination of solid evidence and user-friendly frameworks that can be put to use immediately. A must-read not only for today's challenged CMO but for the rest of the C-suite as a guiding framework for the entire enterprise."
--Rob Malcolm, President, Global Marketing, Sales and Innovation, Diageo PLC

""Strategy from the Outside In" provides a handbook to re-imagine a business through the eyes of customers. It is full of current case studies, research, and practical frameworks that senior marketers can use to refine their own thinking and influence their colleagues."
--Greg Gordon, SVP Consumer Marketing, Liberty Mutual

"Day and Moorman advise companies to leave their comfortable positions of controlling their businesses to the uncomfortable position of allowing their customers control. This is a book only for companies courageous enough to listen to their customers instead of themselves."
--Ron Nicol, Senior Partner and Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group