The New Rules of Sales and Service: How to Use Agile Selling, Real-Time Customer Engagement, Big Data, Content, and Storytelling to Grow Your Business

Acknowledgments

First, a disclosure: Because I do advisory work, run seminars, and do paid speaking gigs in the world that I write about, there are inevitable conflicts. I have friends in some of the organizations that I discuss in this book, on my blog, and on the speaking circuit, and I have run seminars for or advised several of the companies mentioned in the book.

The spark for The New Rules of Sales and Service came during a discussion with HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan over afternoon beers at a nice sunny spot one summer afternoon. Thank you, Brian, for your help in crystalizing my thinking. And for the beers.

Alan Andres read every word of an early draft of this book, and his sound advice and practical suggestions made it much better.

John R. Harris provided valuable early input into the structure. Andrew Davis and Rich Jurek offered suggestions when I was stuck. Tony D'Amelio, who manages my speaking activities, is always a font of valuable advice, and his fingerprints are in these pages.

At John Wiley & Sons, my publisher Matt Holt and my editor Shannon Vargo have steered me through the publishing business with wit and wisdom. We've now done seven books together! Also at Wiley, thanks to Elizabeth Gildea, Melissa Torra, Peter Knapp, Deborah Schindlar, and Lori Sayde-Mehrtens for their help and support.

And especially, thank you to my wife, Yukari, and daughter, Allison, for supporting my work and understanding when I am under deadline or away from home speaking in some ...