I have been asked countless times for my recommendation, my review, my feedback and even my thoughts on a given service that I had experienced or consumed. Often this occurs after purchasing some sort of service in a hotel, a restaurant or a hip retail store. Now, those that know me well understand that I have a particular attitude when it comes to paying for a service and then getting a request from the service provider to deliver my recommendation (my services) for free.

So, in such situations, I typically ask the question… What’s in it for me?

The standard (and often rehearsed) response from the staff is:
“well, if it is too much to ask, then we won’t bother you with this but we would like to improve our services and we have heard from others that your advice really works well so, your feedback could help us…”

and then I get to deliver my favorite retort:
Did I come into your restaurant and request a meal expecting to get it for free?  No.  So, can you imagine how my paying Clients would feel if I were to offer you free advice that actually improves your bookings, your profitability and your overall business performance?

My day job focuses on helping our Clients sell more of whatever it is that they are trying to sell. This is what I do for a living. The typical result is that our Clients double their sales in both new and existing markets. It’s no wonder that my Clients spread the word around.

So, how do you do it? I guess now would be a good time for me to come up with a segue into the main topic of this article which without a doubt is The Single Most Powerful Force in Marketing.

Do you know what it is?

If you can answer this question correctly, your name will be entered into a draw to win free access to our newest online course, coming out VERY soon.

No, this is not a trick question.

Yes, there most definitely is a right answer.

But even if you know it, I can almost guarantee most of what you’ve been taught about it is dead wrong – and I will prove it to you in full detail over the coming 4 days.

Post your answer in the “comments” section below to enter the draw. We’ll pick 4 of you, so you have a good chance to win.

OK… it’s now 4 days later and the responses are in and four winners have been selected and informed via email of their success.

For those of you still reading this, here were the winning responses:

“It is Word of Mouth but only when Trust and Credibility have been established.
I have recently been enjoying a referral group called Business Network International (BNI) and the leads do not come in until the relationship is built. People do not care one bit about who you are or the features of your product. I have found the the ears really perk up when a benefit is mentioned. The old WIIFM…”

“Word of mouth – from satisfied Customers who have had a fantastic experience with your product.”

“Word of Mouth is the single most powerful force in Marketing. Product endorsements create sales. The more people you can influence with your endorsement, the more sales you will make.”

“The most powerful force in marketing is word of mouth recommendations or as Dr. B calls it Viral Buzz. A recent example: THE SECRET. Regardless of what you thought of it, they did no advertising that I’m aware of and the thing spread like wildfire to millions of people. It’s the first time in my life I can recall having so many different friends and co-workers and strangers recommend a product to me.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 5th, 2008 at 13:20 and is filed under Educational, Services Offered, Suggestions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.