Put your customers to work
By all means this isn't a new concept, but in a meeting a few days ago it was scoffed at when I mentioned it.
The concept I proposed was putting our customers to work for us, making them the evangelists for our new program.
Not really something my company embraced.
In fact they were far from it. Too bad really, because your best customers can be better than some of your salespeople. They already have the trust, rapport, and correct message for the audience they speak to. But lets get into that another time. Or read this great blog by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba.
So for the sake of argument let's say that my company (or yours) embraced the idea. How easy would you make it to spread the word for them? Would you do anything at all? And more importantly, what would you do for them?
Fortunately for us we can turn to our political candidates for the answers. Yup, the candidates are now doing a fantastic job of recruiting every supporter to help spread the word. This last Sunday (Earth Day) I attended a rally in Iowa City for Barack Obama. Later that night, I went to his website to see what else I could learn. His site is a case study in using word of mouth and social networking for recruitment. You can set up a personal profile, find other supporters in your area, blog to other members, and watch videos.
What does this all sound like?
Hmm.
Maybe myspace, blogger, and youtube all wrapped into one. Of course he has links to profiles on all the social networking sites, but the best part is its one stop shopping. Everything I need is located in one location, and the best part is that it is user friendly, even for those a little less web-saavy.
The Selling Point:
Whether or not you are actively engaged in making your customers do work for you, some of them have the ability to move mountains. But they can only do so if they are properly equipped. So why not start today by setting up a page so they can watch videos of customer testimonies, you could have youtube host it. Make it easy for them to set up a members or customers area to find other companies looking for the same solution that you provide. And give them the tools to post everything they find to a blog or social profile. Chances are your customers outnumber your salespeople, why not properly equip them to spread the word?
Who knows they may be motivated to do this...
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