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IBM at 100: How to Outlast Depression, War, and Competition

Harvard Business Review

Know your customers intimately. Never settling, IBM management charged a taskforce with developing a personal computer to compete in the young, growing market for smaller, more versatile machines. Newly appointed CEO Lou Gerstner logged thousands of hours visiting customers, industry experts and analysts.

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Understanding Customers Is Everyone's Job

Harvard Business Review

By addressing common (and often difficult) questions in such an up-front way, the impression customers get, said Sheridan, is "Oh my gosh, these guys are so honest.". Developing customer trust requires managing interactions sensitively in an environment of increased transparency. This transparency works both ways.