Stan Phelps, CSP®

How do you avoid giving the typical boring corporate presentation?
You need the tools and the approach to delivering memorable presentations. Filled with 64 tips, Silver Goldfish provides 10 keys and a six-step approach to coming across Loud & Clear when presenting.

Silver Goldfish is divided into four parts:
The first section is "The Why." We make the case for why you should invest in becoming a more engaging and memorable presenter. Here we'll tackle the biggest myth in… Show more

How do you avoid giving the typical boring corporate presentation?
You need the tools and the approach to delivering memorable presentations. Filled with 64 tips, Silver Goldfish provides 10 keys and a six-step approach to coming across Loud & Clear when presenting.

Silver Goldfish is divided into four parts:
The first section is "The Why." We make the case for why you should invest in becoming a more engaging and memorable presenter. Here we'll tackle the biggest myth in communication and explain the meaning behind the Silver Goldfish. We'll delve into the meaning of "five by five" and silver. We'll explore the idea that little things can make a huge difference in the metaphor of a goldfish. We'll also shed the notion of a silver bullet in communication.

The second section is "The What." Here we explore the keys to coming across "Loud" and "Clear" when you present. Specifically, we'll address how to rise above distractions with your presentation skills. You'll learn tips on how to impress, connect, express, facilitate, and entertain your audience. In addition, you'll understand how to craft your content with clarity and organize your presentation in a way that makes your message memorable.

The third section is "The How." Here we'll share the six step S.I.L.V.E.R. process for creating a presentation. The first three letters involve preparation: Starting, Illustrating, and Learning. The second three provide guidance for the actual delivery of your presentation: Vaulting, Educating, and Requesting. We also include the Silver Preparation Grid and the Silver Presentation Matrix.

The last section of the book gives you the Five Key Takeaways. Show less

A Blue Goldfish is any time a business leverages technology, data, and analytics to do a "little something extra" to improve the experience for the customer. This workbook is based on a collection of over 300 case studies.The New BattlegroundCustomer experience as the new battleground for competitive advantage, but with every wise company focusing on customer experience, how do you stand out? Former GE CEO Jack Welch perhaps said it best, “There are only two sources of competitive advantage:… Show more

A Blue Goldfish is any time a business leverages technology, data, and analytics to do a "little something extra" to improve the experience for the customer. This workbook is based on a collection of over 300 case studies.The New BattlegroundCustomer experience as the new battleground for competitive advantage, but with every wise company focusing on customer experience, how do you stand out? Former GE CEO Jack Welch perhaps said it best, “There are only two sources of competitive advantage: the ability to learn more about our customers faster than the competition and the ability to turn that learning into action faster than the competition.”This Blue Goldfish Workbook examines the three R's: Relationship, Responsiveness, and Readiness. It also uncovers eight different ways to turn insights into action. Are you ready to use info-sense to win profits and prophets? What's your Blue Goldfish? Show less

Ready to Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness? Companies need to stand out in a crowded marketplace, but true differentiation is increasingly rare. Based on over 250 case studies, this Pink Goldfish Workbook provides an unconventional seven-part framework for achieving competitive separation by embracing flaws, instead of fixing them. We examine the concept of being F.L.A.W.S.O.M. This is the idea of embracing your flaws. You can succeed because of your flaws, not despite of them. We use… Show more

Ready to Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness? Companies need to stand out in a crowded marketplace, but true differentiation is increasingly rare. Based on over 250 case studies, this Pink Goldfish Workbook provides an unconventional seven-part framework for achieving competitive separation by embracing flaws, instead of fixing them. We examine the concept of being F.L.A.W.S.O.M. This is the idea of embracing your flaws. You can succeed because of your flaws, not despite of them. We use F.L.A.W.S.O.M. as our acronym for the seven types of pink goldfish. We share our flaunting matrix and each pink type: Flaunting, Lopsiding, Antagonizing, Withholding, Swerving, Opposing, and Micro-weirding. This workbook points out the ways to stand out by doing more of what makes you weird and less of what makes you normal in business. Show less

Excel Under Pressure
Diamond Goldfish uncovers how business is a game. It's a guide for driving sales and deepening client relationships. Based on the Diamond Rule, over 150 case studies, and the science-backed framework of Market Force, the book provides perspective and tools for winning in sales and client management.

The book consists of three main sections:
Section I outlines the Why. Here we explore our metaphor of the Diamond Goldfish. We'll share the reasoning behind the… Show more

Excel Under Pressure
Diamond Goldfish uncovers how business is a game. It's a guide for driving sales and deepening client relationships. Based on the Diamond Rule, over 150 case studies, and the science-backed framework of Market Force, the book provides perspective and tools for winning in sales and client management.

The book consists of three main sections:
Section I outlines the Why. Here we explore our metaphor of the Diamond Goldfish. We'll share the reasoning behind the diamond as a metaphor and the symbolism of the goldfish. The section will also explore our human biology, examine the impact of pressure, and uncover the four behavioral styles (Control, Influence, Power, and Authority).

Section II explains the What. Here we share the process of leveraging the Diamond Rule. We'll uncover how to M.I.N.E. for diamonds with the four-step process of Mindset, Identify, Neutralize, and Empathize.

Section III showcases the How. We explore each stage of the sales process using Market Force principles. First, we'll examine the Big Picture. Then we'll look in turn at setting the foundation, hosting the first meeting, and working the sale. We reveal how to acknowledge success and set-up for the next go-around. We'll finish the section by discussing the Diamond Rule Matrix, a quick reference guide to assess how your behavioral style works best with each of the four styles.

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The competition is fierce in the nonprofit world, even when competing in different spaces. This book will explore the signature ways nonprofits reinforce their purpose and stand out in a crowded marketplace, whether it is an extra level of recognition for key donors, a special incentive designed to keep their best employees, or something simple like a luncheon to recognize volunteers or highest fundraisers. If you work at a nonprofit, we hope this book will help you deliver “a little extra” to… Show more

The competition is fierce in the nonprofit world, even when competing in different spaces. This book will explore the signature ways nonprofits reinforce their purpose and stand out in a crowded marketplace, whether it is an extra level of recognition for key donors, a special incentive designed to keep their best employees, or something simple like a luncheon to recognize volunteers or highest fundraisers. If you work at a nonprofit, we hope this book will help you deliver “a little extra” to your stakeholders. Show less

Are you looking to stand out from your competition?
Uhh, is that even a question? Of course, you are! Unfortunately, nearly every other business is, too... So, how can you stand out in a sea of sameness?

This Purple Goldfish Workbook is designed as a companion to the book Purple Goldfish 2.0. The workbook aims to provide a step by step process for customer experience design. It is a roadmap for implementing Purple Goldfish Strategy in your organization. The benefit is differentiation,… Show more

Are you looking to stand out from your competition?
Uhh, is that even a question? Of course, you are! Unfortunately, nearly every other business is, too... So, how can you stand out in a sea of sameness?

This Purple Goldfish Workbook is designed as a companion to the book Purple Goldfish 2.0. The workbook aims to provide a step by step process for customer experience design. It is a roadmap for implementing Purple Goldfish Strategy in your organization. The benefit is differentiation, loyalty, and word of mouth.

The workbook is broken up into three main parts:
Part 1 - (The Why) Introduction - the case for focusing on customer experience.
Part 2 - (The What) Key Concepts - the 10 types of Purple Goldfish in the categories of value and maintenance.
Part 3 - (The How) The four-step I.D.E.A. process for creating a Purple Goldfish. Show less

Are you looking to stand out from your competition?
Uhh, is that even a question? Of course, you are! Unfortunately, nearly every other marketer is, too... So, how can your brand stand out in a sea of sameness?

Purple Goldfish 2.0 is not your ordinary business book. It fundamentally aims to change the paradigm of what we do in business and how we do it. It offers 10 ways to attract raving customers. Purple represents “a little extra” whereas the goldfish stands for “differentiation.”… Show more

Are you looking to stand out from your competition?
Uhh, is that even a question? Of course, you are! Unfortunately, nearly every other marketer is, too... So, how can your brand stand out in a sea of sameness?

Purple Goldfish 2.0 is not your ordinary business book. It fundamentally aims to change the paradigm of what we do in business and how we do it. It offers 10 ways to attract raving customers. Purple represents “a little extra” whereas the goldfish stands for “differentiation.” A Purple Goldfish is defined as any time a business purposely goes above and beyond to provide a little something extra to differentiate the experience and honor the relationship. It’s a marketing investment back into your customer base. It’s that unexpected surprise that’s thrown in for good measure to achieve product differentiation, drive retention, and promote word of mouth.

Call to Action
Your brand today is no longer just what you tell people it is. It’s what your customer experiences, how they feel, and, most importantly—what they tell others about that experience.” The entire premise of Purple Goldfish 2.0 is that the customer must come first. Customer experience should be the biggest priority. Stop focusing on “the two in the bush” (prospects) and take care of “the one in your hand” (your customer). Take care of the customers you have. When you provide them with a memorable experience, they’ll bring you the customers you want.

The book is broken up into three main parts:
Part 1 - (The Why) The case for focusing on customer experience.
Part 2 - (The What) 10 types of Purple Goldfish in the categories of value and maintenance.
Part 3 - (The How) The four-step I.D.E.A. process for creating a Purple Goldfish. Show less

How do you successfully lead the five generations in today’s workforce?

You need the tools to navigate. Filled with over 100 case studies and the Generational Matrix, Gray Goldfish provides the definitive map for leaders to follow as they recruit, train, manage, and inspire across the generations.

We believe the recipe for successfully leading across these five generations is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We believe the recipe comes from understanding nuances and being able to… Show more

How do you successfully lead the five generations in today’s workforce?

You need the tools to navigate. Filled with over 100 case studies and the Generational Matrix, Gray Goldfish provides the definitive map for leaders to follow as they recruit, train, manage, and inspire across the generations.

We believe the recipe for successfully leading across these five generations is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We believe the recipe comes from understanding nuances and being able to treat each team member as an individual. This involves going beyond the “Golden Rule” and treating others how you would like to be treated. Gray Goldfish implores leaders to treat others how they like to be treated.

Gray Goldfish is broken into three main sections:
Section I: Here we outline the “Why”
The first part of the book explores the reasons for focusing on leading across the five generations and the origin of the Goldfish metaphor. We’ll also provide an overview of each of the five generations and what makes them tick.

Section II: We uncover the “What”
We’ll share leading examples from the Gray Goldfish Project culled from over 75 case studies in eight major categories: Recruiting/Onboarding, Project Management, Recognition/Motivation, Flexing, Training/Development, Vision/Purpose, Feedback/Mentoring, and Retention/Loyalty. You’ll see how other companies have instituted programs and policies to engage their employees effectively.

Section III: We’ll share the “How”
In order to be an effective leader, we need to know how to lead every generation. Here we introduce the Generational Matrix, a handy reference tool. In addition, there is a chapter for each of the five generations. In order to lead every generation, you need to know how to lead in the context of your own generation. As a little extra, we’ll also talk about the importance of followership. Show less

Unlocking the 15 Keys to Employee Engagement

Green Goldfish 2.0 is based on the simple premise that employees are the key drivers of customer experience and that “Happy Employees Create Happy Customers.” The book focuses on 15 different ways to drive employee engagement and reinforce a strong corporate culture. The book is based on the findings of the Green Goldfish Project, an effort which crowdsourced over 1,001 examples of signature added value for employees. Key themes emerged from… Show more

Unlocking the 15 Keys to Employee Engagement

Green Goldfish 2.0 is based on the simple premise that employees are the key drivers of customer experience and that “Happy Employees Create Happy Customers.” The book focuses on 15 different ways to drive employee engagement and reinforce a strong corporate culture. The book is based on the findings of the Green Goldfish Project, an effort which crowdsourced over 1,001 examples of signature added value for employees. Key themes emerged from the Project and the book is filled with over 200 examples.

Creating Green Goldfish in your organization provides three benefits:
1. Differentiation - Doing little extras provide a tangible way to stand out in a sea of sameness. The little extra gives the company a “remark”able difference or set of signature differences.

2. Retention - If you keep employees happy, they tend to stick around longer.

3. Word of mouth - By creating a culture that attracts talent, you can become a desired place to work. The result is that you’ll get more “A” players.

The book is broken into three main sections:
Section I: Here we outline the “Why”
This part of our book explores the reasons for focusing on engagement and where the metaphor of a Goldfish originated.

Section II: This is where we explore the “Ingredients”
We’ll uncover the five R.U.L.E.S. for creating a Green Goldfish: Relevant, Unexpected, Limited, Expressive and Sticky.

Section III: The “What”
Here we share the 15 different types of Green Goldfish and the categories they fall under: the three B’s: Building, Belonging, and Becoming. Show less

There should only be one success metric in business and thatʼs happiness.

A Yellow Goldfish is anytime a business does a little extra to contribute to the happiness of its customers, employees, or society. Based on 300 case studies, Yellow Goldfish by Stan Phelps CSP and Rosario Cirillo Louwman CCXP, provides a nine-part framework for happiness-driven growth, productivity, and prosperity in business.

The Yellow Goldfish book is broken into three main sections:
Section I… Show more

There should only be one success metric in business and thatʼs happiness.

A Yellow Goldfish is anytime a business does a little extra to contribute to the happiness of its customers, employees, or society. Based on 300 case studies, Yellow Goldfish by Stan Phelps CSP and Rosario Cirillo Louwman CCXP, provides a nine-part framework for happiness-driven growth, productivity, and prosperity in business.

The Yellow Goldfish book is broken into three main sections:
Section I outlines the “Why”
It explores the history and science of happiness and how it is evolving a differentiator in customer experience. Section I also uncovers background on the metaphor of why Yellow and why a Goldfish.

Section II showcases the “What”
We’ll uncover nine keys for H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S: Health, Autonomy, Purpose, Play, Integrity, Nature, Empathy, Simplicity, and Smile. We share over 75 case studies from the Yellow Goldfish Project.

Section III explains the “How”
Here we share the process behind creating your Yellow Goldfish for Happiness and Growth: Grounding, Reaching-up, Operationalizing, Wowing, Taking Time, and Harvesting.
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Unlocking the six keys to creating a successful franchise S.Y.S.T.E.M.

Packed with over 100 best-practice examples, Purple Goldfish Franchise Edition focuses on the six keys to creating a successful franchise S.Y.S.T.E.M. and a dozen ways to create a signature customer experience. The end result is engaged successful franchisees and a consistent brand experience.

This book contains five main parts:
Part One provides background on the Purple Goldfish concept.

Part Two… Show more

Unlocking the six keys to creating a successful franchise S.Y.S.T.E.M.

Packed with over 100 best-practice examples, Purple Goldfish Franchise Edition focuses on the six keys to creating a successful franchise S.Y.S.T.E.M. and a dozen ways to create a signature customer experience. The end result is engaged successful franchisees and a consistent brand experience.

This book contains five main parts:
Part One provides background on the Purple Goldfish concept.

Part Two examines how successful franchisors create scalable models through the S.Y.S.T.E.M. framework.

Part Three focuses on how to create your own Purple Goldfish.

Part Four distills the top five takeaways.

Part Five shares bonus content on types of Purple Goldfish and provides recommendations for additional reading and inspiration.

Praise for Purple Goldfish Franchise Edition:
“Purple Goldfish, Franchise Edition, leaves the reader with unexpected value. The authors, Stan and Tiffany, researched numerous examples to construct a way of looking at franchises, a SYSTEM, that focuses on the end customer and how franchises create an emotional connection with the customer, so that the customer chooses the same business again and again. Using this lens, the authors offer several examples for each concept that illustrates ways that franchisors and franchisees excel in their industry by delighting more customers every day with unexpected value. To identify areas to improve, the authors include a section to discover opportunities to improve, design an improvement plan and suggestions on deploying so that the book examples provide actionable learning that will grow your franchise.” – Bob Gappa, CFE, Founder & CEO of Management 2000 and co-author of Crisis of Disengagement Show less

Ready to Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness?

Companies need to stand out in a crowded marketplace, but true differentiation is increasingly rare. Based on over 200 case studies, Pink Goldfish provides an unconventional seven-part framework for achieving competitive separation by embracing flaws, instead of fixing them.

Pink Goldfish is broken into three main sections:
Section I outlines the “Why”
It explores the need to embrace weirdness and amplify weakness to differentiate in… Show more

Ready to Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness?

Companies need to stand out in a crowded marketplace, but true differentiation is increasingly rare. Based on over 200 case studies, Pink Goldfish provides an unconventional seven-part framework for achieving competitive separation by embracing flaws, instead of fixing them.

Pink Goldfish is broken into three main sections:
Section I outlines the “Why”
It explores the need to embrace weirdness and amplify weakness to differentiate in business. We reveal how everything we’ve learned about weakness is wrong. We’ll show how every weakness has a corresponding strength. We examine the seven reasons to embrace weirdness. The section ends with an explanation of our metaphor of the pink goldfish where we’ll share the symbolism of the goldfish and the reasoning behind the color pink.

Section II showcases the “What”
We examine the concept of being F.L.A.W.S.O.M. This is the idea of embracing your flaws. You can succeed because of your flaws, not despite of them. We use F.L.A.W.S.O.M. as our acronym for the seven types of pink goldfish. We share our flaunting matrix and each pink type: Flaunting, Lopsiding, Antagonizing, Withholding, Swerving, Opposing, and Micro-weirding. This section points out the ways to stand out by doing more of what makes you weird and less of what makes you normal in business.

Section III explains the “How”
Here we share the process of finding your own pink goldfish. We delve into the four A’s. The first A is assess, and it involves understanding what makes you weird or weak. The second A is appreciate. Appreciation is accepting and taking ownership of your uniqueness. The third A is amplify. Amplification is the process of turning up the dial to bring your differentiation to life. The final A is align. Aligning involves looking at those areas of weirdness and weakness that resonate with your customer and create meaningful differentiation. Show less

This book contains over 101 bar tricks, riddles, jokes and stories. Amaze your friends with tricks, puzzle them with riddles, astonish them with trivia and punish them with bad bar jokes.

Purpose is changing the way we work and how customers choose business partners
Red Goldfish is the fifth color in the Goldfish Series of books. It focuses on how purpose is driving loyalty and becoming the ultimate differentiator in business. The book shares over 100 cutting edge examples and reveals the eight purpose archetypes. It shows how businesses can embrace purpose to drive employee engagement, fuel the bottom line, and make an impact on the lives of those it serves.

This book… Show more

Purpose is changing the way we work and how customers choose business partners
Red Goldfish is the fifth color in the Goldfish Series of books. It focuses on how purpose is driving loyalty and becoming the ultimate differentiator in business. The book shares over 100 cutting edge examples and reveals the eight purpose archetypes. It shows how businesses can embrace purpose to drive employee engagement, fuel the bottom line, and make an impact on the lives of those it serves.

This book is broken into three main sections:
Section I - will explore how business is evolving and the importance of putting purpose first.

Section II – uncovers the eight pur­pose archetypes: The Protector, The Liberator, The Designer, The Guide, The Advocate, The Challenger, The Unifier, and The Master.

Section III – shares how to define your purpose and create the little things that bring it to life.

Praise for Red Goldfish:
“In Red Goldfish, Stan Phelps and Graeme Newell make the case that business needs to evolve into a purpose-first mindset. They demonstrate how companies can embrace both purpose And profit. The book underscores that actions speak louder than words. Businesses need to do the little things (Red Goldfish) to bring purpose to life.” — David Howitt, author of Heed Your Call Show less

This minibuk talks about the concept of a Purple Goldfish and uncovers the 12 ways to win customers and influence word of mouth.

Lagniappe - send me an email at [email protected] and I'll send you a physical copy.

Purple Goldfish Service Edition is about differentiation via added value. Marketing to your existing customers via G.L.U.E. (giving little unexpected extras). Packed with over 100 examples, the book focuses on the 12 ways to do the “little extras” to improve the customer experience for restaurants, hotels, and airlines. The end result is increased sales, happier customers, and positive word of mouth.

A blue goldfish is any time a business leverages technology, data, and analytics to do a "little something extra" to improve the experience for the customer. The book is based on a collection of over 300 case studies. It examines the three R's: Relationship, Responsiveness, and Readiness. Blue Goldfish also uncovers eight different ways to turn insights into action. Are you ready to use info-sense to win profits and prophets? What's your Blue Goldfish?

CXM is not optional, even for large, complex organizations. It’s the future of every business operating in a networked world. Your brand isn’t your company. It isn’t your marketing message. It isn’t even your product. It is the sum of your customers’ experience at every brand touchpoint.

So where do you begin? Download this ebook to learn tips from 20 innovative thought leaders in the CXM space.

What’s Your Golden Goldfish is based on the simple premise that all customers and employees are not created equal. For most businesses, 80% of profitability is driven by the top 20% of customers and employees. These are simply your "Vital Few." The book focuses on nine different ways to do the "little extras" to promote customer advocacy and drive employee engagement with these key stakeholders. The Golden Goldfish is the third book in the goldfish trilogy.

What’s Your Green Goldfish is based on the simple premise that employees are the key drivers of customer experience and that “Happy Employees Create Happy Customers.” The book focuses on 15 different ways to drive employee engagement and reinforce a strong corporate culture.
It's the second book in the goldfish trilogy. The first book was an Amazon Best Seller entitled, What’s Your Purple Goldfish. Purple focused on customers, whereby Green focuses on employees. Both books are based on a… Show more

What’s Your Green Goldfish is based on the simple premise that employees are the key drivers of customer experience and that “Happy Employees Create Happy Customers.” The book focuses on 15 different ways to drive employee engagement and reinforce a strong corporate culture.
It's the second book in the goldfish trilogy. The first book was an Amazon Best Seller entitled, What’s Your Purple Goldfish. Purple focused on customers, whereby Green focuses on employees. Both books are based on a revolutionary new approach called marketing g.l.u.e. (marketing by giving little unexpected extras).

The book is based on the findings of the Green Goldfish Project, an effort which crowd sourced 1,001 examples of signature added value for employees. Key themes emerged from the Project. The book is filled with over 200 examples. Show less

How do you stand out in a sea of sameness?

What's Your Purple Goldfish (WYPG?) is about differentiation via added value. Marketing to your existing customers via G.L.U.E (giving little unexpected extras). The end result is increased sales, happier customers and positive word of mouth.

"In business you do must do something that's above and beyond what's expected. Phelps shows the ingredients behind creating signature extras that are unconventional and innovative. Every business… Show more

How do you stand out in a sea of sameness?

What's Your Purple Goldfish (WYPG?) is about differentiation via added value. Marketing to your existing customers via G.L.U.E (giving little unexpected extras). The end result is increased sales, happier customers and positive word of mouth.

"In business you do must do something that's above and beyond what's expected. Phelps shows the ingredients behind creating signature extras that are unconventional and innovative. Every business should be asking themselves, "What's our Purple Goldfish?"

-Tony Hsieh, NY Times bestselling author of "Delivering Happiness" and CEO of Zappos.com, Inc.

"Influence isn't a score, it is the ability to cause, effect or change behavior. Phelps shows marketers how to add that 'little something extra' that influences consumer behavior and drives word of mouth."

- Brian Solis, Author of The End of Business as Usual, Named a Top 2011 Business Book by Publisher's Weekly

“What's Your Purple Goldfish? is the new benchmark for customer service and experience excellence. The single source for numerous concepts and innovations that can help build the foundation for a world class brand! (I just hope my competition doesn't find this book.)”

- Chris Zane, Author of Reinventing the Wheel - The Science of Creating Lifetime Customers

“Stan’s approach of delivering the unexpected, lagniappes, is a great way to break from the pack and instill a mindset of customer delight across your company.”

- Bruce Temkin, Author of The 6 Laws of Customer Experience

“Your project has been an inspiration. I’ve talked about it many times, and included links in my articles. CEM can be complicated, but your examples show that with some creativity, companies can stand out by doing a little something extra.”

- Bob Thompson
CEO of CustomerThink.com, the world's largest community dedicated to customer-centric business, Author of CrowdService: Harnessing the Wisdom of Crowds in Customer Service Show less