Product Review

Most business enterprises entering the twenty-first century are searching for breakthroughs in achieving—and sustaining—profitable growth. But in this quest, many companies find themselves focusing on only half of the equation, relentlessly improving their own products and processes, or attempting to please customers at any cost—without a strategy for linking the organization’s capabilities and goals with the real needs of its customers. In Delivering Profitable Value, Michael Lanning draws from over twenty-five years’ experience and groundbreaking thinking to offer a fundamentally new approach to strategy and performance, showing how any business can transform itself into a value delivery system that consistently and profitably delivers superior experiences to customers.After clearly describing the philosophy of and framework for delivering profitable value, the book presents a comprehensive and practical methodology for its application, illustrated through the successes and failures of such companies as Hewlett-Packard, Glaxo-Wellcome, Southwest Airlines, Chevron, Sony Microsoft, Kodak, Weyerhaeuser, and Proctor & Gamble. Adopting the ”DPV” approach will result in subtle, but profound, changes in the way managers define their businesses, establish success criteria, explore new markets, study and interact with customers, analyze competition, deploy resources, and develop processes and functions.Managers who employ the principles and tools outlined in Delivering Profitable Value will help their organizations:Stop making and selling products and services and start delivering deeply understood and carefully chosen customer experiencesAbandon the internally driven and customer-compelled mindsets and adopt the paradigm of superior value deliveryAvoid the temptation to focus on the most immediate and easily attracted customers and commit to delivering superior value to the most profitable customersGive up on confusing, unactionable market segmentation and learn to identify the best strategic options in the relevant marketsCease listening to customers and master the process of becoming the customerAt its core, Delivering Profitable Value is about the creative relationship between an organization and its customers. Michael Lanning’s landmark book provides a tested method for establishing and nurturing those relationships, and capturing the profitable growth that results.