How powerful is word-of-mouth?
In a recent interview, Richard Brooke, the president of Oxyfresh, predicted that
within a few years there would be a huge shift toward the network marketing
model, not just in America, but worldwide.
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Increasingly, companies are discovering that they can promote their products and
services more effectively and with far less expense through network marketing
than by traditional advertising. In short, companies pay individuals to do the
promotion. It’s word-of-mouth advertising… friends, relatives and acquaintances telling others about various products and
services.
How powerful is word-of-mouth?
A recent Nielson survey of some 27,000 Internet users from around the world
found that the most trusted form of advertising was recommendations from
consumers (word-of-mouth marketing). In fact, the trust rating on word-of-mouth
was the highest of all forms of advertising at 78 percent.
In light of this statistic, wouldn’t it be great to have an army of advocates out spreading the word about your
business?
Over the years, I’ve had cleaners say that they rely solely on word-of-mouth advertising to grow
their business. That’s easy to say, but if you happen to be in a prime location with heavy traffic
and favorable demographics, how can you be certain your success is the result
of people “talking up” your services?
Do you have a plan in place to ensure that the talk on the street about your
cleaning business is positive and enhancing to your bottom line? Do you know
how to get people talking about you and your business? Do people even know that
you are in business? Of course your friends and family know you are in
business, but do they know how to talk about your business in a way that
creates interest and referrals for you?
Most people who are in business want to have good things said about them and
hope that their message will spread like wildfire. They truly do.
Unfortunately, hope is not a good strategy. To make the most of your marketing
message, you must have a plan and that plan must start with you.
First, be clear and concise about why you are in business and what it is you
have to offer. What is it that makes you special? If the focus of your brand or
service is unclear or confusing, how can people be expected to accurately
convey the proper message to others? If you want the message to spread far and
wide it must be simple to understand and easy to repeat.
Networking is all about creating positive word-of-mouth. The idea is to create
an army of walking, talking billboards.
Think for a minute. You’ve no doubt been on the receiving end of someone raving about a product. They
may have said something like, “I know the perfect solution for you. You really need to meet so-and-so. Let me
get their information for you. I know that they will take excellent care of you
and they are just the person to solve that problem for you!”
Walking, talking billboards spread the word about you and your business when you
aren’t there to do it for yourself!
How do you get people to rave about you?
The advocates of your business will become walking, talking billboards for you
when they like you, trust you, and want to support you in your success. Most
people enjoy helping other people. They like to be seen as “in the know,” so why not help them talk you up by giving them some great information to pass
along about you to their acquaintances.
In crafting a memorable message you must be keenly aware of your customers and
their needs by asking the questions who, what, where and why.
First of all, who is it that you serve? Consider who your favorite customers
are. They’re the ones you want more of. And who are your least favorites (the ones that
give you heartburn)? Obviously you want fewer of them. Of course, there are the
folks in between, too.
The “what” question focuses on what pain or aggravation your customers tend to experience
and what solutions can you offer them. Are they tense and strapped for time?
Perhaps you can relieve them from a number of home chores such as cleaning,
laundry, carpet and upholstery maintenance, which will free them up do address
other issues in their hectic lives.
Next, consider “where” you will serve your favorite clients? Will you go to them? Will they come to
you?
The last question to answer is “why.” Why should anybody care about what you do? This one answers the “what’s in it for me?” question that everyone is always thinking about.
Once you’ve figured out the answers to these questions, you can craft the information
into a tight presentation that covers the emotional reasons that people do
business with you. And then you practice, polish, and practice some more.
Help others to help you spread the word about your business.
Become aware of the component parts of your personal marketing message. Hone in
on the emotional hooks that will get people interested in learning more about
what you do. Practice your presentation so that it simply and effortlessly
rolls off your tongue. Build relationships and be an advocate for others. And
remember to smile and be friendly.
When you take the time to prepare, your confident message will take wings and
your word-of-mouth marketing will soar!
