Let’s Give Em Something to Talk About . . .
One common complaint I often hear is that people ask for referrals but rarely receive them. Is this how you feel?
One of the first keys to being flooded with referrals is to not have to ask for them. People will be enthusiastic sales people for you if you are really worth that enthusiasm.
Why aren’t people talking about you? For starters, you have to ask yourself a very harsh and humbling question. “Is your business even worth talking about?”
Consider this scenario. Let’s say you and your family go to the new Mexican restaurant “El Chupacabra.” You go for dinner, and the food is good, the waiter was on top of things, and it was an overall pleasant experience.
Do you immediately go tell all of your friends about it? Of course not, unless they specifically ask. Because all of those things are assumed to be present. You automatically assume that a restaurant will have good food and excellent service.
But imagine if the waiter brought a rose to each lady at your table, and they had a mariachi band play your favorite songs, and when they brought you your check they took your car keys and pulled your car up to the door for you? Such amazing service is out of the ordinary, and then you may be inclined to spread the word about the restaurant.
In today’s highly competitive business environment, having a good product and offering good customer service is no longer a differentiating factor. That is considered the cost of entry into the business world, and you are only conspicuous if you do not provide both good service and a good product. They will definitely tell their friends about your business if they have a bad experience, which obviously is not the type of “word-of-mouth” we want.
Are you offering a level of service that is way beyond what people expect? If not, people probably won’t talk about you. And if they don’t tell their friends about you, their friends are far less likely to become your customer.
So what is the takeaway to this post?
Be remarkable in a way that makes people want to talk about your product or company. Be the juicy gossip they can’t wait to share with their co-workers when they get into the office on Monday.
Now, it is possible to ask for referrals, and receive them. I will address that formula in another post next week.
