Work It!

Posted by Elliot Jolesch on August 2, 2019

In our previous lesson, we covered doing research on your word of mouth and putting it to work. In today’s lesson, we’re going to go over some successful methods that others are using to put their word of mouth to work for them when it comes to creating your campaign

These methods are outlined in George Silverman’s book, The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing that’s an excellent source for more in-depth information.

They include:

  • Provide something that is worth word of mouth
  • Lavish your first customers as much as possible
  • Incentives can help create word of mouth
  • Don’t be shy in requesting they tell their friends and family about your product or service
  • Remember the adage that the customer is always right
  • Be honest at all times
  • Give your customers more than they expect
  • Offer your customers a reason to use or purchase from your company, get them to return over and over, and make them want only to use your company
  • Smile and make eye contact even if you’re conducting business over the phone
  • Make your business shine above others through the little things, clean environment, better lighting, a nicer greeting, a better bag, free delivery, fast service, more selection, and better prices
  • Don’t be annoyed when someone asks you to break a bill, even if they don’t make a purchase
  • Your customer is the whole reason you do what you do, so don’t take them for granted. Taking someone for granted is a surefire way for them to go to your competition and never look back.
  • Keep your items clean, but don’t let your customers see you dusting.
  • Don’t make your customers feel embarrassed or make them feel ignorant.
  • Answer any questions with the desire to help the customer, not to make you feel good about how smart you are about your company, industry, or service.
  • Don’t share personal information loudly when someone has a question, such as not shouting how much a feminine hygiene product costs.
  • Tell your customers when you don’t know the answer, and then do everything in your power to find the answer for them.
  • Remember that all of your customers are special. Work on remembering their names if possible.
  • Keep any shoplifters you know about out of your store.
  • Make sure your sales staff is on top of waiting on customers. You don’t want two of your staff talking or handling other tasks while a customer is waiting. Never count money while a customer is waiting.
  • Make suggestions for better products for grateful customers, but respect their choice.
  • Keep sales pressure-free.
  • Never give out bad advice, but help as best as you can.
  • Check out the competition either personally or send an employee to see how you compare.
  • Use secret shopping programs to check on your staff when it comes to how they treat customers when you’re not around.
  • Purchase a store where the management is horrible and put up an Under New Management sign. You can then later sell it for more money once you’ve turned it around.
  • Finding an expert who thinks your product or service is the best will bring hundreds of new customers through word of mouth.
  • Be aware that every stranger is a potential customer.
  • People are willing to travel if it means saving money or being treated better.
  • Keep up with offbeat events or sales promotions. This effort keeps customers coming back to see what you may do next.
  • Use a great sign-maker, and be willing to pay more than others to keep them loyal.
  • Upset people will continue to tell everyone about the reason why they are mad for a long time. Work to eliminate their dissatisfaction to turn that negative into a positive.
  • Treat your staff and those you do business within the same manner you treat your customers as they’re just as important to your success.
  • Create a zero error system where there are consequences relating to the seriousness of the mistakes made. Create checks and balances to ensure that work is being checked, especially when customer safety could be endangered by mistakes.
  • Make mistakes to see if someone catches the mistake.
  • Measure the performance of your company and your staff.
  • Don’t forget to say come back soon to your customers.
  • Create a mail service for when your customers move out of your local area or to engage new customers.
  • Joke and be friendly.

That’s the end of today’s lesson on how you can work your word of mouth. This information can be a lot to digest, so if you need further assistance with this topic, feel free to reach out. Contact us today about how our service can help you move your business forward.