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Noah Fleming is the author of Evergreen.

Marketing & Sales

Evergreen Book Summary - Evergreen Book explained in key points

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Evergreen summary

Name: Evergreen
Rating: 4.4 (28 reviews)
Author: Noah Fleming

Noah Fleming

Cultivate the Enduring Customer Loyalty That Keeps Your Business Thriving

4.4 (28 ratings)

21 mins

Brief summary

Evergreen by Noah Fleming is a business book that emphasizes the importance of customer loyalty. It provides strategies for nurturing relationships with clients, so businesses can thrive in the long-term.

Topics

Strategy Small Businesses

Table of Contents

Evergreen
Summary of 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Discover how to make your company evergreen.

Most flowers wither and die during winter, but some, despite deep snow and heavy winds, just stay green all throughout the season. In many ways, it’s the same with businesses. Some companies seem to have some magic formula for staying fresh.

What’s their secret?

As these blinks will show you, having great content, an active customer community, and making sure people know what your company is all about are all important things for any company that wants to thrive in the long haul. Combined with a clear focus on your customer relationship, these actions will help you grow a truly evergreen business.

In these blinks you’ll learn

what Spiderman can tell you about creating an evergreen business;
that there is no such thing as an average customer; and
why you should fire some of your clients.

Character, community and content are the three Cs that power an evergreen business.

Bringing a Christmas tree home in the middle of winter is a beautiful feeling. Outside, most of the trees are bare, but you have the scent of sharp green pine in your own living room. That sense of renewal and fresh life are essential in business, too. Isn’t there a way to build a more evergreen company, like that Christmas tree?

In the following blinks, we’ll show you exactly how to create an evergreen business by following the three Cs: The Character is the company bedrock, which sustains the Community, a group that benefits from the firm’s Content.

Character, the first C, refers to the brand’s identity and personality. This is more than just the company’s story.

Here’s what we mean by “story.” You know those guys who started building computers in their garage? They were both named Steve and their company was called – what again? Apple.

You might have also heard about a kid who got bitten by a spider on field trip. When he woke up the next morning, he had extreme climbing abilities. Who’s that again? Spiderman. That’s character.

The next C is Community, and it’s about harnessing the human desire to connect with others. By instinct, we seek out people who share our interests, beliefs and values. Accordingly, companies should help build or nurture communities which are aligned with their brand.

Take the software developer, Adobe, which has several different communities online, serving as platforms for thousands of users to discuss the software and learn from each other.

And as for the last C? Content refers to the company’s products and services. This is the core return customers get for their money, but it’s also much more. It’s the customer service, marketing, logistics – all the intangibles that keep the company running.

So now that we’ve sketched an overview of the three Cs model, let’s find out how they work.

A company’s motivation, values and beliefs define its character.

Someone should be able to describe your company in pretty much the same way they would describe a friend. That’s why you should define the firm’s character in a simple and vivid way. Be as clear as possible, because that’ll make it easy for your customers to trust your company and feel loyalty toward it.

To start building your firm’s character, don’t simply try to describe what you do. Instead, ask yourself why you do what you do.

Build deeper relationships with your customers by fostering community.

When you hang out with your closest friends, you’re connecting on a deep level. Compare that to going to the supermarket, which is about participating in simple, mercantile exchanges – like exchanging money for a pound of coffee. The difference is, you and your friends belong to a community.

And actually that’s something companies should strive for as well, because community can help a business build its brand through word of mouth.

Content encompasses everything the company does, and also the value it provides.

What’s the first thing you notice when you go into a restaurant? Probably not the food. And that’s curious, since most restaurants would probably say they’re in the food business.

That’s how it goes for many companies: Too often, we focus on what we do – our products and services – and not how we do it. But a company’s content – the third C – isn’t just about its products, it’s also about the experience.

Instead of seeing your customers in terms of averages, get to know who they really are.

How would you describe your ten closest friends? As 37.3-year-olds with 2.5 children and 1.2 cars? Probably not. Unfortunately, that’s exactly how most companies think about their customers.

But instead of thinking in terms of averages, segmentation and archetypes are a better way of getting to know your customers. And this is best done by combining demographics and behavioral data, which explains who customers are and what they do. As author Keith Eade put it, you’re basically trying to create a customer straw man.

Strategically build loyalty programs that create stronger bonds between customer and company.

Your wallet is probably crammed full of membership cards from various businesses. Most of these are attached to loyalty programs that give rewards for spending. But do these kinds of promotions actually make customers more loyal?

The most effective loyalty programs focus on customers who could potentially become more loyal, and less on those who are already devoted.

Customer service is about supporting loyalty and sorting out unprofitable customers.

Everyone has that one friend that’s never happy, no matter how much time you spend with them. Maybe you feel it’s a relationship that takes way too much energy, but doesn’t give you anything back. Well, customer relationships can often work the same way.

In other words, problem customers use up more time and resources than they actually bring in. And since they will never be profitable, these customers should be fired.

An evergreen business focuses on reducing attrition and recovering lost customers.

Imagine sitting down at a restaurant and waiting 20 minutes just to get a menu. You’d probably leave, right? Losing customers is a risk for any business, of course – but you can minimize it.

More specifically, there are two types of attrition you can avoid: Business losses related to 1) company screw ups and 2) changes in customer habits.

Acquiring new customers isn’t as important as building a relationship with existing ones.

Imagine you’re trying to fill up a bucket and you discover it has holes in it. What’s best, plugging the holes or adding more water?

You should think about your business the same way: Your company is the bucket and customers are the water. And placing too much focus on new customer acquisition can actually be detrimental.

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What is Evergreen about?

Evergreen (2015) is about keeping your business fresh and staving off stagnation that threatens its survival. Fleming outlines a philosophy that puts customers at the center of a company’s strategy, challenges conventional business wisdom and offers concrete advice for building long-term profitability.

Evergreen Review

Evergreen (2020) by Noah Fleming is a book that explores the timeless principles of building a successful business. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:

With its actionable strategies and practical advice, it provides a roadmap for growth and long-term success.
Drawing from real-world examples and case studies, the book offers valuable insights into what works and what doesn't in business.
Its engaging storytelling and relatable anecdotes make it an enjoyable read, ensuring that it is anything but boring.

Best quote from Evergreen

Fascinating characters are the crux of every compelling story.

—Noah Fleming

Who should read Evergreen?

CEOs and marketing executives at small- and medium-sized businesses who want to rethink their customer relationships
Sales directors seeking new ideas
Start-up founders who want to build their business right

About the Author

Noah Fleming is a strategic marketing expert. He blogs for Fast Company and contributes to The Globe and Mail’s business section. He’s one of just 36 people worldwide who’s accredited to teach Alan Weiss’s Mentorship Program and Growth Cycle.

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Marketing & Sales

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