Best Practices to Grow Your Business by Word of Mouth

Selling to new customers can be hard. They know that you are in it to make money, and if you don’t have a good reputation or references, you might have a tough time. Rather than give new potential customers the hard sale, it could be best to build a strong word of mouth marketing approach so your customers do the selling for you.

Do Your Job Well

The first and most important way to grow your business through word of mouth is by doing your job well. If your customers get what they expect, they will return and share their story. Whether you are selling a product or offering a service, make sure to do a great job and put out a top quality result.

We have hall been to businesses where we were not impressed. Whether you purchased a product that did not live up to your quality expectations or hired someone to do a service for you and didn’t get the result you expected, you certainly did not return.

Even worse for some business owners, they may spread the wrong message about your business. I can think of many times when I did not visit a restaurant or store because a friend told me about a bad experience. Don’t get stuck with a bad reputation.

Have Excellent Customer Service

Another important way to grow your business through word of mouth is by having excellent customer service. If you do have an unsatisfied customer, do everything in your power to fix the situation quickly and amicably.

We all know that the customer is not always right. In fact, sometimes they are wrong. But in most circumstances you should bite the bullet and do whatever is necessary to remedy a situation with an unhappy customer.

Give a return, refund, discount, or replacement when something goes wrong. Don’t argue. Don’t fight. Listen, be attentive, and make your customer happy.

Everyone knows great customer service stories. If you think you are going to be treated well and know you will be happy, you are more likely to visit that business. Make sure the stories told about your company are good ones.

Make It Easy for Satisfied Customers to Share

Build a great company website and buttons to share on social media. Claim your business on Yelp and Foursquare. Build a system that makes it really, really easy for customers to leave you a positive review and share their experience.

Twitter and Facebook might have direct revenue generation opportunities for you, but spreading the word and building a solid reputation is important for any business today. I have tried out companies, and have become a repeat customer at some, based on a Tweet or share from a trusted friend. I am sure many other have as well.

Your Tips

How do you entice customers to share their experiences? Please share your thoughts and any success stories in the comments.