Happy Customers Everywhere: How Your Business Can Profit from the Insights of Positive Psychology

Schmitt (Experiential Marketing), professor of international business and director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at the Columbia Business School, explores the psychology behind making customers happy, sharing key insights from the burgeoning field of positive psychology that focus on the emotional aspects of purchasing. Using timely corporate examples%E2%80%94from Whole Foods and the Toyota Prius, to Skype and BMW%E2%80%94Schmitt outlines three ways to increase customer happiness: the "Feel Good" method, the "Values and Meaning" method, and the "Engagement" method, explaining in detail how leaders can put them into practice. Particularly relevant is the chapter on "Organizational Requirements for Customer Happiness," wherein Schmitt presents a "five-step framework" that will enable employers "to deliver customer happiness on a sustainable basis." In addition to focusing on the needs of the patron, and showing managers and marketers how to develop methodologies for satisfying consumers, the author also reveals how fostering a positive workforce can increase a business's "competitive advantage." Rendered in digestible and practical sections, Schmitt makes a compelling case for the applications of positive psychology. (Apr. 24)