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Buzz Marketing is the latest fad being
talked about. The idea is to use a
handful of carefully chosen trendsetters in a community to act as
"influencers". For
instance, you can call up your friends or associates and act as an influencer
regarding a product or service you highly recommend.
If the pitch is done right, the expectation is the message will spread
spontaneously like a virus. Face-to-face Buzz Marketing is the same thing except
it is done in person: People
learning about products and services from their 'coolest friends'. Companies are spending lots of money on this
new marketing fad, which was featured in a recent issue of Business Week.
What was not mentioned is that this concept is not new to sales people.
We call it Referral Selling. There
is nothing more powerful than having a customer recommend you and your products
and services enthusiastically to peers and associates. This act automatically
transforms a conversation from being a cold call (a pain in the neck
interruption) to a warm conversation. You
have the introduction, now it is up to you to convert the sale. The problem is many salespeople do not
effectively harness the power of Referral Selling and many times miss out on
opportunities. Salespeople
erroneously think that customers will automatically refer them without being
asked. Not so! Your
customers are busy with their own lives. While
they appreciate your services, building your business is not the upper most
thought in their mind. The human being traditionally is not
proactive. Walking down the street,
how many times do you see people volunteering to hand money over to the
homeless. Yet, if a homeless person
asks you for money, their chances of getting it are dramatically increased.
Expecting customers to voluntarily refer you is likely to lead to missed
opportunities. Asking customers to
refer you is taking control of your own destiny and making sure you are not
leaving any opportunities uncovered. Of course referrals come in several forms,
such as testimonial letters, phone calls, etc.
However you use your customers for referrals, remember that you have
worked hard to create this success. It
costs you less in time, effort, and expenses to sell this way.
It is more profitable. What
are you waiting for? Bottom Line: Spread the buzz about your products and services by leveraging your sales immediately through referrals. What you have to lose? Everything! |
