Strong customer-focused companies have a clear, relevant promisewhich they obsessively deliver day-in, day-out. At the same time,they relentlessly drive the market by evolving the offer in theface of market developments and opportunities. Because they meetcustomer needs better than the competition, again and again, theyare able to generate sustainable, profitable, market-leadingorganic growth. The problem the book addresses is how to achievethis. The authors identify five key steps using their framework forsuccess:* Offer a clear, relevant customer promise* Build customer trust by reliably delivering thatpromise* Continuously improve the promise, while stillreliably delivering it* Drive the market by innovating beyond thefamiliar* Support all this with an open organization thatpromotes frank discussion based on clear facts and marketfeedback.Above all the book runs counter to the fashionable claim thatthe starting-point for business success should be to find a'blue-sky', 'out-of-the-box' breakthrough innovation. Barwise andMeehan use many compelling cases to illustrate how managers canfind ways within their existing network and organization to achievelong term growth.

PREFACE viACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ixChapter 1 What Every CEO Wants 1Chapter 2 Your Promise to the Customer 19Chapter 3 Delivering Today's Promise Better and BetterEvery Day 39Chapter 4 Driving the Market by Relentlessly Improving thePromise 67Chapter 5 Innovating Beyond the Familiar 93Chapter 6 Opening Up: What Leaders Must Do 119POSTSCRIPT 145END NOTES 151INDEX 167ABOUT THE AUTHORS 174