Quit Begging
John Jantsch has a new book, The Referral Engine, all about building referrals without begging. What is begging? Asking your customers for the names of their friends and family who may be interested in your product or services. The customer came in to buy your product or service, not to give you more prospective customers. At a retail store I was asked for my phone number and email address after paying for my product. I probably will get a survey or call on my “satisfaction” with my purchase. I really just wanted to buy the soap that my wife wanted, not to give a life history. I believe you do your customer a disservice by asking for more and more. At some point it becomes a dissatisfier.
If the customer is happy, they will tell others, if they are not, they won’t. It’s that simple. Make your customers happy, and give them a reason to refer you. Your measure will be when you ask your customer where they heard about you in a passing manner.
Your customer is not a checklist, she is a person who made the choice to interact with you. Don’t blow the opportunity by asking more than you need to know. Begging will get you nowhere, but genuine thinking will get you everywhere.
POWER ON–Mark
Tags: actionable, confetti project, Customer Value, Dynamic Marketing, marketing, Marketing Knowledge, Power Tips, Relationships, small business marketing, Unconventional Marketing, Unconventional Thinking
