What are you more likely to believe: your best friend's assessment of his new car or the ad campaign for that car?
If you're like most of us, you'll put more stock in your buddy. Why? He doesn't stand to gain anything if you buy the car. He can be open and honest about his experience with the vehicle. He has no reason to accentuate the positives or downplay the negatives. And, as a friend, he's someone you know and trust. For all those reasons, your friend's endorsement will carry more weight than any claims made during a 30-second TV spot.
Imagine now how your company could benefit from more positive word-of-mouth marketing.
Like other types of good marketing, effective, ongoing word-of-mouth does not just happen. You may sell a unique product that generates a certain amount of initial buzz, but in order to sustain it, you need to contribute to the process. How? First, by networking.
Developing a diverse network of contacts is key to successful word-of-mouth marketing. When you and your employees expand your sphere of influence, you'll create more opportunities to add to the excitement about your product. To borrow a quote from the shampoo people, you tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on and so on...
Ideally, that's all it would take. Realistically, it requires a bit more effort on your part. So, be aware of all the everyday opportunities that exist to talk up your company or products. Nearly everyone you know or meet can be a part of your network, whether they're strong contacts (those people in a position to provide leads, like clients, business associates, vendors, even competitors) or casual contacts (friends, family members, and anyone else who might use or recommend your company based on their positive relationship with you). You may only meet certain people once, but by making a positive impression while talking business, you may earn a customer for life.
Ways to broaden your network:
Serve on committees and boards.
Attend the events offered by your local Chamber of Commerce or other business groups.
Volunteer for charity work.
Join a service organization, such as the Shriners, Kiwanis or Rotary Club.
Become a member of your industry's professional organizations.
You might also form a networking or lead-sharing club. The very specific purpose of such a group is not to socialize, but to share leads and contacts. And the key word is "share." Each member of the group should have to contribute viable leads on a regular basis in order to maintain membership.
Engage in Both Active and Passive Networking
During active networking, you are focused specifically on making the contacts necessary to sell your product or company. Passive networking refers to all the other relationship building you do throughout your life, whether it's playing golf with a neighbor and his friends or helping someone change a tire on the side of the road.
By sharing your knowledge and experience with members of the community and even others in your industry, you'll become a Knowledge Networker, and clients will eventually seek you out because of your reputation as an expert in your field. The more people who utilize you for advice or recommendations, the more potential you have to build your own business. It’s important to remember that “it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.”
When you commit yourself to networking, commit also to being a farmer, not a hunter. The hunter goes for the quick kill. The farmer tills the soil, plants the seeds, nurtures and cares for the crop over time, and THEN enjoys the harvest. The most successful type of networking is about building long-term, win/win relationships. While the quick kill approach may bag you a sale once in awhile, it won't help you realize the full potential of an account, or generate the positive word-of-mouth you want. To succeed, you must truly want to help prospects and customers. When you can identify real applications for your products and services, and, through them, help a customer meet real goals, you'll build the kind of trust that leads to positive word-of-mouth advertising.
Once you've turned prospects into satisfied customers, put those solid relationships to work to attract even more new customers. Find ways to encourage your current customers to refer your company to others, whether it's through incentive plans or reciprocal business partnerships.
People are generally very receptive to referrals, even those that are unsolicited. And, typically, new customers that come to you via referrals are of a higher quality, less likely to raise objections, much less costly to obtain, and more likely to buy. They are also less susceptible to competition down the road.
Finally, put your referral letters to work. Words of praise about your company from satisfied customers carry a lot of weight with prospects. Make sure your sales force has access to copies. You might also post them on your website or include excerpts from the most glowing letters in your advertising.
Referral letters can be a powerful sales tool. For your prospect, they reduce any perception of risk they might have about dealing with your company, especially if the referral comes from a well-known or respected individual or company.
A successful word-of-mouth campaign begins with the understanding that there is a percentage of people that wants your product or service as badly as you want their business. By effectively piquing their interest and engaging them through word-of-mouth techniques, you can win more of them.
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