Acknowledgments

I dedicate this book to all those service professionals who provide us with memorable experiences that enrich and brighten our daily lives.

I wish to thank my lovely wife Solange, whose patience and unconditional support have allowed me to pursue my professional goals and aspirations. For the past twenty-three years, Solange’s wisdom and matter-of-fact view of life have kept me grounded on Planet Earth and have provided a sounding board for my ideas and concepts. I wish also to thank my wonderful sons, Gianluca and Niccoló (and not least for sharing their unique perspective on what is cool and what is not!).

I also wish to thank Horst Schulze—my “boss,” friend, mentor, and partner—who taught me everything I needed to know about exceptional customer service. Horst’s laser-sharp focus on excellence and his unmatched commitment to being the best have been both an inspiration and a motivation to succeed.

And finally, I want to thank my friend Micah, whose bright and witty style brings a wonderful dimension to the business concepts we present together in these pages; I had a great time writing this book with him.

Leonardo Inghilleri

Atlanta, Georgia

To my beloved and brilliant wife, my family, my friends, my colleagues past and present at Oasis, Tony, Morris, and the team at AVL, and my customers: You have taught me so well and patiently—enduring my failings over the years while I learned what is contained in these pages.

To my smarter-than-me brother, Ari Solomon; our wise and accommodating editor Bob Nirkind and the team at AMACOM; super-agent Bill Gladstone; Gareth Branwyn; Tom Burdette; Seth Godin; Richard Isen; Cathy Mosca; Rajesh Setty; the people at ChangeThis/800-CEO-READ; Rick Wolff and Caryn Karmatz Rudy; Megan Pincus Kajitani (for “Jane Chang-Katzenberg” [Chapter 3]); and, most of all, Leonardo: This book would not have happened without you.

Thank you all—so much.

Micah Solomon

Philadelphia, PA