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Free, Perfect and Now tells how one CEO nearly quadrupled his company's market value through the power of the Internet and some daring management. Written by Bob Rodin, president of electrical distributor Marshall Industries, Inc., the book is about the struggle to give customers what they want: reduced prices, higher quality, and speedy service. "Who in the world is figuring out how to serve customers at a lower cost? Closer to perfect for your customers' changing values? Faster?" Rodin writes. "We ask ourselves those questions every day at Marshall." Rodin is renowned in the trade for overseeing the creation of an award-winning business-to-business Web site--launched in 1994, far ahead of the competition. A disciple of management guru W. Edwards Deming, Rodin describes his company's astonishing rise over six years. He changed the culture by ridding the company of contests and bonuses and freeing managers from meeting quarterly objectives. One of his most revolutionary moves: abolishing commissions for his 600-strong sales staff. As far as Rodin can determine, Marshall boasts the only major sales team in the U.S. that gets paid strictly by salary and profit-sharing. That means sales pros can move customers to the Internet without worrying about losing commissions. But Rodin cautions that the Internet also means relentless competition. Even as this book was released, Marshall lost a major customer and its stock price was cut in half--Rodin may need to work some magic again. This book is for senior executives, middle managers, and businesspeople open to some radical methods for expansion. --Dan Ring In a world where knowledge is king, the Web never sleeps, and competitive challenge increases exponentially, Robert Rodin shows you how to prepare for the three insatiable demands of today's customers: they want their product or service FREE, they want it PERFECT, and they want it NOW. No matter what business you're in, you have to find a way to respond -- or risk losing your customers to competitors who are discovering new ways to sell your product or service cheaper, better, and faster than you've ever imagined. As the dynamic CEO of electronics distributor Marshall Industries, Rob Rodin engineered the astounding reinvention of his company, turning a conventionally successful $500 million business into a Web-enabled $2 billion competitive powerhouse. Free, Perfect, and Now tells the dramatic story of that transformation from the inside. Detailing the hard lessons learned in competitive battle, it offers a compelling new perspective on the most pressing issue facing businesspeople today: how to prepare a customer-focused corporation for a future you can't predict.No matter what business you're in, odds are that your customers will demand the same three things of your product or service: they want it free, they want it perfect, and they want it now. In the meantime, your competitors are figuring out ways to sell your product or service cheaper, better, or faster than you've ever imagined. As the CEO of electronics distributor Marshall Industries, and the protege of the world famous W. Edwards Deming, Robert Rodin led the company's radical reinvention into a wired, highly profitable, "high-speed junction box". Free, Perfect, & Now is at once the story of that transformation, a practical guidebook, and a blueprint for taming and coordinating every function of any organization. In each chapter, Rodin explains how to design a different element of the company, from strategic planning and mission design to technology investments and electronic commerce connections. Also provided is a mini-workbook showing, for example, the five steps to a more effective compensation system. For those eager to learn how to prepare a customer-focused organization for an unpredictable future, Robert Rodin has innovative and provoking answers
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