Rick Barrera

Biography

In 1981 Rick Barrera founded his consulting and training firm to identify and teach the distinctions Peak Performers make to produce exceptional results. He first applied these principles to sales and service organizations writing three books in the process: "Non-Manipulative Selling" published by Prentice Hall, "Collaborative Selling" published by John Wiley and Sons and the self-published "Dollars and Sense of Exceptional Service Delivery."

Rick has recently finished his fourth book "Overpromise and Overdeliver" published by Penguin Putnam. It's an old cliché in business that smart companies UNDER promise and over deliver. But in today's crowded market, Rick says, "That's a one way ticket to oblivion!"

Rick pulled his many years of experience together and articulated an essential business concept centered on branding, but touching every part of a business.  "Overpromise and Overdeliver" explains why it is so critical to develop a radically differentiated brand promise and why alignment of your Product, Systems and Human TouchPoints is essential to rapid brand building. You'll learn the inside secrets of companies like Washington Mutual, Amazon.com, American Express, The Container Store and Google. You'll gain insights into instant hits like IPOD, Hummer, Lunchables and other hot products. In addition to the book Rick also talks on the subject of "Overpromise and Overdeliver" to the delight of audiences.

In his consulting work with sales and service teams in the corporate world he discovered that in most cases Peak Performance was thwarted by the processes, systems and structures in which most people worked. He focused his research on these issues and soon developed a body of work entitled "Fast Forward: Embracing the Challenges of the 21st Century." In his Fast Forward work Rick shows organizations why the mindsets, systems and processes they've used in the past won't win today's never-satisfied customers in a marketplace where supply exceeds demand. He then helps companies redesign their systems to move "Fast Forward" in this new hyper competitive space.

In his systems work Rick discovered that often a company's strategy is outdated or inappropriate for their competitive environment so he invented a strategy creation process designed to leapfrog the competition by moving at "Warp Speed." His keynote on the topic is entitled "Warp Speed-Winning and Losing at the Speed of Light"

Rick was one of the first speakers to see the possibility for creating untold wealth by unleashing the value of Intellectual Capital. In his speech and workshop "Leveraging Intellectual Capital" he shows companies how to unlock their IC wealth.

Rick's speech "E-Business, The New Economics of Information" was born when The Internet and The Network Economy threatened virtually every incumbent by obliterating the tradeoffs between the "economics of information" and the "economics of matter."

In his consulting work Rick discovered that most companies view customer service as a front line phenomena when it is in fact systemic in nature. The frontline often CAN'T deliver great service because the company's systems won't allow it. In "Rethinking Customer Service" Rick addresses the issues that create poor service systems.

Each year he delivers over 100 keynote addresses to companies such as Abbott Labs, AT&T, AutoZone, Caterpillar, IBM, Intel, Merrill Lynch, Tupperware International and Xerox. Because he continues to consult a with a few select clients each year, his material is always relevant, fresh and grounded in the current realities of the marketplace.

Publications

Overpromise and Overdeliver: The Secrets of Unshakable Customer Loyalty

Titles

Overpromise and Overdeliver
Touchpoint Branding
Peak Performance in Turbulent Times
eBusiness
Strategic Business Design
Intellectual Capital
Fast Forward
Warp Speed
Rethinking Customer Service
Loyalty
Collaborative Selling
Peak Performer's Attitude
Patterns of Peak Performers
It Takes All Kinds