I read this book a few months after presenting my webinar (Can You Take The Crisis and Turn It Into Gold?) and was struck by how the the same ideas that I applied to marketing to consumers (based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) is also relevant within a company, for the customer experience, and for business investors.

Chip has taken Maslow’s pyramid (physiological -> safety -> social/belonging -> esteem -> self-actualization) and simplified it into three need levels: survival -> success -> transformation.

Employees have 3 categories of needs (“relationship truths”): money (creates base motivation), recognition (creates loyalty), and meaning (creates inspiration).

Customers have 3 needs: meets expectation (creates satisfaction), meets desires (creates commitment), and meets unrecognized needs (creates evangelism).

Investors‘ 3 needs are: transactional alignment (creates trust), relationship alignment (creates confidence), and legacy (creates pride of ownership).

Chip’s premise is that most businesses are focusing only on the lowest needs of each group, thinking of basic business survival. But where the opportunity for real growth is in the upper needs of each group.

As a bonus: here’s an interview with Chip about his book: