Ask Your Customers, Advises Customer Value Thought Leader Shelley Hall, quoted in The Expert's Edge

Stow, MA - March 23, 2008: The views of Shelley F. Hall, a top expert in the field of "customer-focused consulting" are currently being featured in a new book, The Expert's Edge: Become the Go-To Authority People Turn to Every Time by Ken Lizotte, published recently by McGraw-Hill.

Regarding the use of surveys as a business tool, Hall is quoted in the book as advising companies to simply ask their customers what they want. The book's passage reads this way:

"How do you know if you are still delivering real value to your customers? This is the easy part: you ask them. If you face flat sales and high customer churn, it's probably because you've lost touch with your customers. Just ask them; it's that simple, and they'll tell you what they want. Survey them, ask them, talk to them. They'll tell you how to sell to them, too. Your customers know perfectly well how you can reinvent your company to meet their needs."

Principal and Managing Director of Catalytic Management Consulting, Hall further explains: that "Understanding your unique value and your unique contribution is critical to becoming the go-to person in your field. Your customers are the first place to start capturing that value and distilling it into fresh, new ideas and knowledge that will drive your business and drive your position as a thoughtleader."

Hall's comments echo the book's thesis which is that business experts' very own expertise represents an unparalleled marketing tool. Talking to your customers and asking them pointed questions can draw out the valued expertise that customers will pay for.

Hall's inclusion in The Expert's Edge follows her other publishing credits, including articles she has authored for such major business journals as Business Performance Management Magazine, CEO Refresher, The Handbook of Business Strategy, Women's Business, The Independent Consultant and many more.

To learn more about Ken Lizotte's book The Expert's Edge: Become the Go-To Authority People Turn to Every Time and emerson consulting group inc., visit www.thoughtleading.com