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When Sally is not treated well at the local cleaners, she not only doesn't go
back there, she tells others of her unpleasant experience.
People talk! They talk about
their frustrations, disappointments, poor service and inadequate products. Statistics indicate that every unsatisfied customer tells at least eight
people about their unpleasant experience. People
tend to readily talk about unsatisfactory service and yet what you want is to
have them talk about great service. Imagine if every person who came to your center told eight people about how
you are enhancing the lives of people everyday.
The people you serve are you best vehicle for positive word-of-mouth
marketing. Tips for Generating Word-of-Mouth Marketing 1. Create a memorable, easily
repeatable value statement. Decide what it is that you want people to say about your center.
What do you want people to think of when they think of your center?
Make it easy for people to talk about you by giving them the words to
say. 2. Provide quality service,
and most of all treat people with respect. Make sure respect is present in everything you do and say. Respect creates a feeling of honor that nourishes people at a soul level. Communicate your commitment to "respect" by the way that you speak; i.e. "We respect the difficulty you must face when . . ." "We respect your need to . . ."
"We want you to feel like you've been treated with the respect you
deserve . . ." 3. Ask people to spread the
word. Ask people to help you reach others who can benefit from the services you
provide. With a little
encouragement individuals will help you spread the word to others throughout the
community. 4. Give people something
great to talk about. Do something extraordinary that makes people want to talk.
What can you do that will just naturally get people talking?
It could be a community project, a new service, an in-house program.
Be willing to be creative and do something extraordinary that gets
people's attention. 5. Stay in touch with people. By staying in touch with people you increase the chance that they will
mention and recommend your center to others.
There are always plenty of reasons for being in touch with people.
Make sure you don't get too busy to ignore those nudges to call people.
Be aware and alert to opportunities to be in touch. 6. Acknowledge people. Acknowledge people for being clients, contributors, vendors, community
supporters. Make sure that the
people in your life realize they contribute to the work that you do.
Include people in celebrations and acknowledgements regarding the impact
that the center is making in people's lives. Does your community really know about the value and benefit of your services? If not, they need to and it is up to you to get the word out. You can initiate a word-of-mouth grapevine that creates positive visibility and exposure. Creating this type of visibility is critical - it is the way that the people who want, and need what you have, find you. |
