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Networking expert Ivan Misner on how to spark good word-of-mouth buzz surrounding your business:
“I believe that most business professionals are cave dwellers. They get up each morning in a large cave with a big-screen TV called their home. They go out to their garage and get into a little cave with four wheels called their car. They go to another cave with plenty of computers called their office. At the end of the day, they get back into their little cave with four wheels and drive back to the large cave with the big-screen TV, and they can’t figure out why no one is referring them. If you want to build your business through word-of-mouth, you have to be visible and active in the community by participating in various networking groups and/or professional associations.
From “Word of Mouth: The World’s Best-Known Marketing Secret”
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Advertising doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Ad expert Roy H. Williams talks about the strategies of a few of his clients:
“I have a young mechanic friend who specializes in older model BMW automobiles. In his glove box are several dozen five-by-seven flyers that say “I specialize in fixing BMWs just like this one. Is it running like it should?” Whenever work is slow, he drives through big parking lots where there are hundreds of cars and looks for older BMWs. When he finds one, he slips the flier under the windshield wiper after scribbling a personalized note to the owner, such as “Arctic blue has always been my favorite color on this model. You should be proud of it.” He usually gets calls on his cell phone while he’s still out distributing fliers. Another friend specializes in replacing old picture windows with fancy bay windows. Guess where he puts his fliers? You guessed it: on the front doors of old houses with big picture windows. Works like a charm.”
Williams continues:
“A few years ago, I began working with a client in the frozen custard business who said he’d be happy to invest $10,000 in advertising if he were guaranteed 500 new customers. When I pointed out that this was twenty dollars per new customer, he reminded me that anytime a new customer tried his product, they were usually hooked for life and he would soon make back his investment. It was the middle of winter, and his two custard stands had no inside dining. I told him to prepare all the custard mix he could use if he kept his machines running nonstop from nine a.m. until midnight and to get a good night’s sleep. The next day, I began airing a sixty-second radio ad twice every hour on a midsized station in his town. I offered a free, full-sized cone to everyone in town—all they had to do was get there before midnight. We gave away more than 11,000 cones that day at a total cost of $1,900 for custard mix and $1,200 for advertising. His business literally exploded after that, and now he’s franchising nationally.”
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