Tag Archives: word of mouth

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world of mouth

World Of Mouth, Is It Working For You?

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Many business leaders will share with you that the face of business is changing. They may not be able to put their finger on which direction, but they recognize a shift. It is the age of a service and connection economy which leads to World of mouth.

How are you navigating?

The CEO needs a plan. So does the employee. Learning how to navigate a connection economy is likely not found in books or other resources produced prior to 2005. Perhaps prior to 2010 or 2015.

Working For You

How does marketing and advertising work? The best marketers are building a connection.

How do you get more sales in an overwhelmed digital world? The strongest sales growth comes through connections.

So many people claim to be suffering from information overload. Many regress to making fewer decisions based on their own research and instead lazily rely on their network.

This is true for the retailer, the E-comm, and nearly every business sector. It is also true for who gets hired or promoted. It is a connection economy and connections matter.

This is precisely why commodity products compete only for price. They are available everywhere and without any additional value. Their supplemental value is perhaps only in the convenience and ease of the (service) purchase and delivery.

Commodity products are tough. Amazon, eBay, and the carriers (UPS, FedEx, etc.) are winning. Good for them.

Average, similar, mainstream, and available anywhere means getting selected is tough. True for the job you just applied for, and true for the products or services your organization provides.

World Of Mouth

The great equalizer comes through the connection economy. Average sells when it is recommended by a friend. Similar works if a friend has tried it. Mainstream can be trendy if everyone in your community is on board.

Consider that the question may become, “What is it about what you are offering that makes it special enough to become a discussion item?”

Word of mouth is powerful. World of mouth is mind blowing. Connections drive both.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+


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customers telling

Who Are Your Customers Telling?

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Historically word of mouth has been considered to be one of the best forms of advertising. Do things right and your customers will tell others, who are your customers telling?

Today with our robust social media channels, it is possible for your customers to tell the world. Instead of word of mouth, we now have world of mouth. This is nothing new to most, but it may be new to some.

The biggest question, or the most difficult to answer, may be who or what are your best customers telling? Do you have a way to measure or index the customer who spreads the word about the great products or services you provide?

Customer Stories

Two days ago, I received a direct tweet from an airline. At first I was confused, was this some type of scam?

After a moment or two, I realized that a colleague had a bad flight experience and I added on comment on his thread about customer service being about culture. The airline was trying to be sure to capture any of the bad news and correct the problem.

Personally, I’m undecided about tweeting out bad experiences, but I may not be the norm.

Think about the last customer service story you heard about. Was it a story about how incredible the service was or how delighted they were? Chances are pretty good that you hear more disappointment stories as compared to those of delight.

Customers Telling

A customer who recommends you, tells the delightful stories, provides referrals, loves connections, and participates on social media platforms may be one of your best customers. They may not spend as much. They may not generate the most gross revenue. What they do however, it may be priceless.

What key performance indicators (KPI’s) are you monitoring?

Knowing the big spenders and high profit customers are absolutely important. Identifying the ones that sell for you shouldn’t be forgotten. In a world of mouth environment, do you know who your customers are telling?

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+


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word of mouth

In Customer Service Word of Mouth is Caring

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Often people express that they get the most traction from word of mouth experiences. Has word of mouth changed? In customer service, word of mouth is caring, it is also about selling, branding, and marketing.

For many organizations, I can’t stress enough that your customer service is never about what you say it is, it is always about what the customer feels.

Convinced

Many individuals and organizations try to convince me of their exceptional delivery. They tout their brilliance and success while suggesting that their customers will back it up. Perhaps, but it is still never about what the vendors says, it is always about what the customer feels.

Today much of our word of mouth has become world of mouth. The incredible wave of communicating electronically has made our world smaller and our reach longer.

There is a saying, “People will not always remember what you said, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.”

Feeling Average

People don’t talk much about average. Average is too easy. The regular haircut, the normal cheese and peperoni pizza, the typical commute to work. It isn’t discussed.

However, when the barber slips, or the hair coloring is off. We hear about it. A bad pizza or improperly cooked steak, we hear about it. A little road rage or a traffic jam, we hear about it.

The biggest fallacies I witness with organizations pursuing a culture of customer service is that they evaluate their level of service based on costs and their own perceptions. Nothing about good service is cheap, but it (good service) also isn’t always expensive.

The question that organizations should be asking themselves is, “Expensive compared to what?”

Word of Mouth

People aren’t talking about normal or average. They will repeat a pleasant surprise, and they’ll shout it out about unhappy experiences. Average, normal, or the basics aren’t enough. Certainly, poor service is a disaster.

Do you want world of mouth? Show your customers that you care because the most expensive customer service of all is when you are picking up the broken pieces. Word of mouth or world of mouth, both are about the outstandingly exceptional or else the drama filled disaster.

Most people just want to know that someone cares.

That is a feeling, not a slogan, phrase, or bumper sticker.

How much does a feeling cost? It is priceless.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+


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