Printable Biography of Robert Spector

He is the author of corporate histories of an eclectic array of companies, including Chevron, Eddie Bauer and Kimberly-Clark.

Robert has written on business for the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, UPI International, NASDAQ Magazine, Customer Service Management and Corporate University Review; fashion for Women's Wear Daily and Details, and civil liberties for Parade; and has been a ghostwriter for Dr. Joyce Brothers. His humor writing has been published in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and National Lampoon, and performed by Don Imus and Stiller & Meara. He is best known for writing the national bestseller, THE NORDSTROM WAY: The Inside Story of America's #1 Customer Service Company, the first and only up-close and personal look at how this company became the national standard of customer service. Robert is the only journalist ever given total access to the inner workings of the Nordstrom culture.

The Nordstrom Way spent 17 weeks on the Business Week Bestseller List, and was nominated for the Booz Allen Hamilton/Financial Times Global Business Award. It has been translated into Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Tom Peters called The Nordstrom Way, "A real winner," and Business Week said it "bubbles with customer service insights." Robert is an international speaker on Nordstrom's culture of customer service. His audiences have ranged from Cadillac to the Red Cross. His talks break down the elements of the Nordstrom philosophy and explain how they can be adapted for virtually every kind of organization. His new book LESSONS FROM THE NORDSTROM WAY: How Companies are Emulating the #1 Customer Service Company (Wiley), shows how companies of any size--and in any industry--are giving world class customer service. Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, called LESSONS FROM THE NORDSTROM WAY" a blueprint for providing superior customer service. There are lessons here for people in every industry."

Robert is the author of AMAZON.COM: GET BIG FAST: Inside The Revolutionary Business Model That Changed The World (HarperCollins). Professor Philip Kotler of Northwestern University called the book "a business history classic", and Patricia Seybold, author of CUSTOMERS.COM said, "This is a must read for any serious player in the Internet Economy. Jeff Bezos's fanatical focus on the total customer experience is the key takeaway."

Robert also wrote the foreword to CUSTOMER SERVICE, the second in HarperBusiness's "Business Masters" series. Edited by Fred Wiersema, co-author of THE DISCIPLINE OF MARKET LEADERS, the book spotlights Southwest Airlines, Charles Schwab, Lands' End, American Express, Staples and United Services Automobile Association. He has been a television guest on the National Business Report, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg Business, CNET News.com and numerous radio interview shows across the United States

A native of Perth Amboy, N.J., and a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa., Robert lives in Seattle with his wife, Marybeth, and their daughter, Fae.

Robert Spector is a corporate storyteller with a dry sense of humor. A former comedy writer (who still writes the occasional humor piece), Robert offers audiences a lively, fast-moving presentation filled with personal and professional anecdotes that are entertaining, humorous, touching and enlightening. Some stories will make you laugh, others will bring a tear to your eye. Robert specializes in speaking about two fascinating companies: Amazon.com and Nordstrom. Amazon.com, the poster child for electronic commerce, has set the example for customer service for online retailers, and represents the quintessential story of Internet entrepreneurship. Nordstrom has long been the gold standard for customer service, and its example has inspired companies and organizations in every walk of life.

Some clients want to hear Robert speak just about Amazon.com; others prefer to hear just about Nordstrom. Still others choose a presentation that combines the two companies, which, surprisingly, have a lot in common.

Programs:

Amazon.com Robert tells the story behind the story of Amazon.com; the story you've never heard. His presentation covers the life of Amazon.com founder Jeffrey Bezos; his idea for Amazon.com; and how he built it up to become the most recognized retailer on the Internet. The presentation will answer the following questions: ·Who is Jeffrey Bezos? ·How and why did he decide to start Amazon.com? ·What was the original concept for Amazon.com? ·Why did Bezos select Seattle to launch the company? ·How did Bezos and company construct the Amazon.com Web site? ·How did Bezos raise the capital for Amazon.com? ·How and why did he change his original concept? ·How and why did he change his philosophy to "get big fast"? ·How did Jeff Bezos become the poster boy of e-commerce? ·What has been the impact of Amazon.com on businesses throughout the world? ·What is the future of Amazon.com?

Nordstrom Through Robert's presentation, your audience will learn how Nordstrom: ·creates, maintains, encourages, and nurtures a 50,000-employee culture that is 100 percent committed to serving the customer. ·empowers its entrepreneurial employees to take customer service to new heights. ·gives frontline people the freedom to make decisions-and then supports those decisions. ·values the nobility of customer service and encourages employees to become othercentered rather than self-centered. ·transfers this culture as it expands throughout the U.S. ·has created name-brand recognition of what the company represents. ·serves as a model of employee empowerment that can be emulated by your organization.

Robert's presentation is called: HOW TO BECOME THE NORDSTROM OF YOUR INDUSTRY: The Eight Management Principles of America's #1 Customer Service Company. 1.Provide Your Customer With Choices 2.Create An Inviting Place for Your Customers 3.Hire Nice, Motivated People 4.Sell The Relationship: Service Your Cusomers Through The Products and Services You Sell 5.Empower Employees To Take Ownership 6.Dump The Rules: Tear Down The Barriers To Customer Service 7.Encourage Internal Robert Spector, a Seattle-based business writer and speaker, is an observer of corporate cultures. He is the author of corporate histories of an eclectic array of companies, including Chevron, Eddie Bauer and Kimberly-Clark.

Robert has written on business for the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, UPI International, NASDAQ Magazine, Customer Service Management and Corporate University Review; fashion for Women's Wear Daily and Details, and civil liberties for Parade; and has been a ghostwriter for Dr. Joyce Brothers. His humor writing has been published in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and National Lampoon, and performed by Don Imus and Stiller & Meara. He is best known for writing the national bestseller, THE NORDSTROM WAY: The Inside Story of America's #1 Customer Service Company, the first and only up-close and personal look at how this company became the national standard of customer service. Robert is the only journalist ever given total access to the inner workings of the Nordstrom culture.

The Nordstrom Way spent 17 weeks on the Business Week Bestseller List, and was nominated for the Booz Allen Hamilton/Financial Times Global Business Award. It has been translated into Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Tom Peters called The Nordstrom Way, "A real winner," and Business Week said it "bubbles with customer service insights." Robert is an international speaker on Nordstrom's culture of customer service. His audiences have ranged from Cadillac to the Red Cross. His talks break down the elements of the Nordstrom philosophy and explain how they can be adapted for virtually every kind of organization. His new book LESSONS FROM THE NORDSTROM WAY: How Companies are Emulating the #1 Customer Service Company (Wiley), shows how companies of any size--and in any industry--are giving world class customer service. Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, called LESSONS FROM THE NORDSTROM WAY" a blueprint for providing superior customer service. There are lessons here for people in every industry."

Robert is the author of AMAZON.COM: GET BIG FAST: Inside The Revolutionary Business Model That Changed The World (HarperCollins). Professor Philip Kotler of Northwestern University called the book "a business history classic", and Patricia Seybold, author of CUSTOMERS.COM said, "This is a must read for any serious player in the Internet Economy. Jeff Bezos's fanatical focus on the total customer experience is the key takeaway."

Robert also wrote the foreword to CUSTOMER SERVICE, the second in HarperBusiness's "Business Masters" series. Edited by Fred Wiersema, co-author of THE DISCIPLINE OF MARKET LEADERS, the book spotlights Southwest Airlines, Charles Schwab, Lands' End, American Express, Staples and United Services Automobile Association. He has been a television guest on the National Business Report, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg Business, CNET News.com and numerous radio interview shows across the United States

A native of Perth Amboy, N.J., and a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa., Robert lives in Seattle with his wife, Marybeth, and their daughter, Fae.

Robert Spector is a corporate storyteller with a dry sense of humor. A former comedy writer (who still writes the occasional humor piece), Robert offers audiences a lively, fast-moving presentation filled with personal and professional anecdotes that are entertaining, humorous, touching and enlightening. Some stories will make you laugh, others will bring a tear to your eye. Robert specializes in speaking about two fascinating companies: Amazon.com and Nordstrom. Amazon.com, the poster child for electronic commerce, has set the example for customer service for online retailers, and represents the quintessential story of Internet entrepreneurship. Nordstrom has long been the gold standard for customer service, and its example has inspired companies and organizations in every walk of life.

Some clients want to hear Robert speak just about Amazon.com; others prefer to hear just about Nordstrom. Still others choose a presentation that combines the two companies, which, surprisingly, have a lot in common.
 

Programs:
Amazon.com Robert tells the story behind the story of Amazon.com; the story you've never heard. His presentation covers the life of Amazon.com founder Jeffrey Bezos; his idea for Amazon.com; and how he built it up to become the most recognized retailer on the Internet. The presentation will answer the following questions: ·Who is Jeffrey Bezos? ·How and why did he decide to start Amazon.com? ·What was the original concept for Amazon.com? ·Why did Bezos select Seattle to launch the company? ·How did Bezos and company construct the Amazon.com Web site? ·How did Bezos raise the capital for Amazon.com? ·How and why did he change his original concept? ·How and why did he change his philosophy to "get big fast"? ·How did Jeff Bezos become the poster boy of e-commerce? ·What has been the impact of Amazon.com on businesses throughout the world? ·What is the future of Amazon.com?

Nordstrom Through Robert's presentation, your audience will learn how Nordstrom: ·creates, maintains, encourages, and nurtures a 50,000-employee culture that is 100 percent committed to serving the customer. ·empowers its entrepreneurial employees to take customer service to new heights. ·gives frontline people the freedom to make decisions-and then supports those decisions. ·values the nobility of customer service and encourages employees to become othercentered rather than self-centered. ·transfers this culture as it expands throughout the U.S. ·has created name-brand recognition of what the company represents. ·serves as a model of employee empowerment that can be emulated by your organization.

Robert's presentation is called: HOW TO BECOME THE NORDSTROM OF YOUR INDUSTRY: The Eight Management Principles of America's #1 Customer Service Company. 1.Provide Your Customer With Choices 2.Create An Inviting Place for Your Customers 3.Hire Nice, Motivated People 4.Sell The Relationship: Service Your Cusomers Through The Products and Services You Sell 5.Empower Employees To Take Ownership 6.Dump The Rules: Tear Down The Barriers To Customer Service 7.Encourage Internal Competition 8.Commit 100% To Customer Service