Social Machines. How to Develop Connected Products That Change Customers' Lives

How do today’s most successful tech companies—Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla—design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently than the vast majority of tech companies. In INSPIRED, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides readers with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization, and how to discover and deliver technology products that your customers will love—and that will work for your business. With sections on assembling the right people and skillsets, discovering the right product, embracing an effective yet lightweight process, and creating a strong product culture, readers can take the information they learn and immediately leverage it within their own organizations—dramatically improving their own product efforts. Whether you’re an early stage startup working to get to product/market fit, or a growth-stage company working to scale your product organization, or a large, long-established company trying to regain your ability to consistently deliver new value for your customers, INSPIRED will take you and your product organization to a new level of customer engagement, consistent innovation, and business success. Filled with the author’s own personal stories—and profiles of some of today’s most-successful product managers and technology-powered product companies, including Adobe, Apple, BBC, Google, Microsoft, and Netflix—INSPIRED will show you how to turn up the dial of your own product efforts, creating technology products your customers love. The first edition of INSPIRED, published ten years ago, established itself as the primary reference for technology product managers, and can be found on the shelves of nearly every successful technology product company worldwide. This thoroughly updated second edition shares the same objective of being the most valuable resource for technology product managers, yet it is completely new—sharing the latest practices and techniques of today’s most-successful tech product companies, and the men and women behind every great product.

The authors of the international bestseller Business Model Generation explain how to create value propositions customers can’t resist Value Proposition Design helps you tackle the core challenge of every business – creating compelling products and services customers want to buy. This highly practical book, paired with its online companion, will teach you the processes and tools you need to create products that sell. Using the same stunning visual format as the authors’ global bestseller, Business Model Generation, this sequel explains how to use the “Value Proposition Canvas” to design, test, create, and manage products and services customers actually want. Value Proposition Design is for anyone who has been frustrated by new product meetings based on hunches and intuitions; it’s for anyone who has watched an expensive new product launch fail in the market. The book will help you understand the patterns of great value propositions, get closer to customers, and avoid wasting time with ideas that won’t work. You’ll learn the simple process of designing and testing value propositions, that perfectly match customers’ needs and desires. In addition the book gives you exclusive access to an online companion on Strategyzer.com. You will be able to assess your work, learn from peers, and download pdfs, checklists, and more. Value Proposition Design is an essential companion to the ”Business Model Canvas” from Business Model Generation, a tool embraced globally by startups and large corporations such as MasterCard, 3M, Coca Cola, GE, Fujitsu, LEGO, Colgate-Palmolive, and many more. Value Proposition Design gives you a proven methodology for success, with value propositions that sell, embedded in profitable business models."

A five-step strategy for turning a commodity into a necessity When products and services become interchangeable, price becomes the ultimate determinant for consumers. Indispensable shows businesses how to break out of that cycle by using The Five Drivers-a strategy that takes companies to the next level of performance. Renowned business consultant Joe Calloway looks at how real companies have made their product or service «mission critical,» and satisfied customers in the process. Indispensable goes straight to the heart of the issue and reveals how successful companies-of any size, in virtually any manufacturing, selling, or service endeavor-achieve market leadership through The Five Drivers of fierce customer loyalty. Indispensable shows readers how to: * Create and sustain momentum: overcome organizational inertia and keep moving forward * Develop habitual dependability: make consistency of performance a defining characteristic * Connect continuously * See the Big Picture Outcome: create compelling customer experiences * Engage, Enchant, Enthrall: make magic in the marketplace With interviews, detailed case studies, and dozens of real-world, effective customer service ideas and initiatives, Indispensable is just what today's forward-thinking businesses need.

A new and empowering way of looking at and organizing social change! How can we move from serving soup until our elbows ache to solving chronic social ills like hunger or homelessness? How can we break the disastrous cycle of low expectations that leads to chronic social failures? The answers to these questions lie within Momentum, a fresh, zestful way of thinking about and organizing social change work. Today's digital tools—including but not limited to e-mail, the Web, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), even iPods—promote interactivity and connectedness. But as Momentum shows, these new social media tools are important not for their wizardry but because they connect us to one another in inexpensive, accessible, and massively scalable ways.

Strategies for long-term social impact This important new book illustrates how to create the social breakthroughs needed to solve urgent global threats such as poverty, disease, and hunger. It then turns to three alternative, but complementary, paths to social breakthrough: social protecting, social exploring, and social advocacy, providing a detailed map of the journey from initial commitment to a world of justice and opportunity Examines the current condition of the social impact infrastructure Offers strategies for how to remedy the steady weakening of our social-impact infrastructure Provides tactics to build strong social organizations and networks Illustrates dynamic methods to respond to constant economic and social change Author Paul Light believes we should be less concerned about the tools of agitation (social entrepreneurship, social protecting, social exploring, and social advocacy) and more concerned about the disruption and replacement of the status quo. Timely in its urgency, this book describes the revolutionary social impact cycle, which provides a new approach for framing the debate about urgent threats.

It's time to join Social Nation and prosper! This book will show you, as an employee, customer or partner, how to use new social technologies, make yourself heard, and produce better products and services. As a leader and manager, you'll find out how to use these tools to harness social interactions to improve your business and to create your own social nation. The book provides a social assessment for leaders, managers and employees to scientifically evaluate your individual social skills and competencies. This book relies on well-known case studies about businesses that illustrate how social principles and strategies can help organizations to: Integrate social skills into existing managerial and leadership practices Overcome some of the common risks and objections that are often cited as obstacles to becoming a successful social enterprise Adopt new forms of social leadership across the entire organization Attain social intelligence by listening, understanding, and measuring outcomes of your investment in relationships with customers, employees and partners Realize tangible economic benefits and ROI from new product and service offerings Social Nation provides readers with an opportunity to join the Social Nation community and share experiences with other leaders and social individuals.

Understand the next level of marketing The new model for marketing-Marketing 3.0-treats customers not as mere consumers but as the complex, multi-dimensional human beings that they are. Customers, in turn, are choosing companies and products that satisfy deeper needs for participation, creativity, community, and idealism. In Marketing 3.0, world-leading marketing guru Philip Kotler explains why the future of marketing lies in creating products, services, and company cultures that inspire, include, and reflect the values of target customers. Explains the future of marketing, along with why most marketers are stuck in the past Examines companies that are ahead of the curve, such as S. C. Johnson Kotler is one of the most highly recognized marketing gurus, famous for his «4 P's of Marketing» In an age of highly aware customers, companies must demonstrate their relevance to customers at the level of basic values. Marketing 3.0 is the unmatched guide to getting out front of this new tide sweeping through the nature of marketing.

The PR Masterclass is written by former newspaper, magazine and digital journalist Alex Singleton, who is now a prominent PR trainer and consultant. It reveals the secrets of effective PR and shows how to put in place a practical, reliable and successful media strategy for your product, business or activity – one that delivers the greatest results. Through the book, you get to discover how to develop and pitch effective newsworthy material, regardless of your budget. The PR Masterclass is aimed at PR professionals as well as small business owners and entrepreneurs implementing a PR strategy. «PR can do more for your money than any other marketing tool. But very few people understand how to use it. Alex does because he has been at the receiving end. So will you if you read this remarkably practical book.» —Drayton Bird, author, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing «The lessons contained within The PR Masterclass should be plastered over the walls of organisations seeking to utilise the media effectively for their campaigns. This book is a must-have reference point.» —Ryan Bourne, CityAM columnist and Head of Economic Research, Centre for Policy Studies «This is an important book about public relations and how the media is changing. Singleton is a straight-talking journalist-turned-practitioner who pulls no punches. He calls on the industry to grow up and adopt the rigour of a professional discipline. It's a call to action that I wholly heartedly support. You should read The PR Masterclass if you're new to public relations or work in the profession and want to continue doing so.» —Stephen Waddington, European director, Ketchum, and 2014 President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) «Provides all you need to know about securing press coverage.» —Fraser Seitel, O'Dwyer's PR magazine «Every page is packed with insight and practical advice.» —Steve Harrison, co-founder, Harrison Troughton Wunderman «Written in a no-nonsense style, every chapter contains a mine of information about the subject. What's more, it's clear that Alex knows the business inside out. This is the kind of book you need to have close at hand. Do what it says, and you'll be miles ahead with your PR.» —James Hammond, brand consultant «Alex Singleton's book on public relations strategy is an excellent practical guide to the real world of PR.» —Ray Hiebert, Editor, Public Relations Review

An informative guide to all key aspects of employability for graduating students, educators, managers, and qualified healthcare professionals. Written specifically for health professionals, focusing on their needs and the challenges they face, maximising employability potential, and managing career progression. Packed full of potential interview questions, reflection opportunities, and case studies throughout Includes chapter on Professionalism, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and Leadership

Don't just make money…make a difference. As a social entrepreneur, you can build a business that changes the world. But you will face some unique challenges. This book will prepare you for them. Packed with advice, inspiration and real-life stories, it will help you: Define what you want to do and why you want to do it Find the right kind of funding Build a brand that makes you unique Find a team as motivated and inspired as you are Measure the impact you're having How to be a Social Entrepreneur is the only social enterprise start-up guide you'll ever need. «This is the seminal book on social enterprise» —Martin Murphy, Network 2012 «An essential read for any aspiring or existing social entrepreneur. Full of practical examples of real life social enterprise scenarios and written in Robert's usual uncomplicated format» —Marc Davies, Wales Co-operative Centre Limited, walescoop.com «Social enterprises need social entrepreneurs. This book will help you decide is you've got what it takes to be one» —Peter Couchman, Chief Executive, Plunkett Foundation, plunkett.co.uk «This very practical book will guide you as to what it takes to be a social entrepreneur. Enjoy it and then do it!» —Lord Andrew Mawson OBE, author of The Social Entrepreneur: Making Communities Work, amawsonpartnerships.com «I was genuinely impressed by how comprehensive it is!» —Peter Holbrook, CEO, Social Enterprise Coalition, socialenterprise.org.uk «A treasure trove filled with practical insight and knowledge that will give you the edge to start, grow a sustainable and successful social enterprise» —Stephen Gyasi-Kwaw, CEO/Founder Youth Enhancement Int.Ghana «I particularly enjoyed the section on sales, which is a fundamental topic too often neglected» —Andy Brady, '3rd Sector Futures', Anglia Ruskin University, anglia.ac.uk Robert Ashton is a leading small business troubleshooter, entertaining small business speaker and the bestselling author of many business books including How to Start a Business for Entrepreneurs, Instant Entrepreneur and The Entrepreneur's Book of Checklists.