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It took about thirty years and more than 6000 focus groups,word- of-mouth sessions and experts sessions, as well as the design of countless word-of-mouth marketing campaigns, to accumulate the knowledge that is distilled into the following pages. Not all of my clients will be happy that I am finally divulging (in a general way,without giving away any of their secrets) the secrets that have made their products so successful, in many cases causing record- breaking sales gains. I believe that this book is the beginning of a historic turning point in marketing,which will spawn an entire industry,the word- of-mouth marketing industry. I’d like to acknowledge the people who contributed to the development of this book, both out of this sense of history, and especially out of a sense of gratitude. My father,Irving Silverman,in a sense taught me everything I ever learned about marketing (see “[Almost] Everything I Know About Marketing, I Learned In My Father’s Drug Store,” in Chapter 10 in this book), particularly the idea of building a business by “cultivating the customer”to stimulate word of mouth. Wendy Keller, President of ForthWright Literary Agency and Speakers Bureau,my literary agent,has been a continual source of inspiration, encouragement, optimism, and reassurance. It’s very difficult to write and sell a book. It is an abstract enterprise that is fraught with crises of confidence. She seems to know just what to say to keep me in great spirits and raise my sights,while being bru- tally honest about what to expect. She is responsive, straightfor- ward, and effective. She saw the potential of the book long before others. I hope that she is right. I hope that she is also right about my next book on “Customer Decision Acceleration.” If you’re looking for an agent,look no further. Which brings me to the folks at AMACOM. Ellen Kadin, my editor, has been most perceptive in selecting this book and has been very encouraging about its prospects. I hope that she too is right. She, Wendy, and Ellen’s colleagues must be very perceptive indeed: they like my magic effects. There are many people who will influence and contribute to the Word of Mouth Navigation System in the future, including— hopefully—you the reader.To you all,I thank you in advance.
The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing [...]... While they are trying your product, they talk After they have committed to your product, they talk some more Getting people to talk often, favorably, to the right people in the right way about your product is far and away the most important thing that you can do as a marketer This, then, is the essence of word -of- mouth marketing Word of mouth is the center of the marketing universe and certainly the. .. way of getting other people to put in the work and risk of gathering information and trying products That way, you don’t have to take the time, spend the resources, and incur the risks of doing it yourself Therefore: I The best way to increase profits is to accelerate favorable product decisions 21 22 The Secrets of Word -of- Mouth Marketing I The best way to accelerate product decisions is to make them... speed to create the illusion of motion Actors are creating the illusion that they are someone else Magicians are actors playing the part of people who can do the impossible 5 6 The Secrets of Word -of- Mouth Marketing So, there is nothing really wrong with creating vivid images about products that make people feel good about using them There is nothing wrong with painting a vivid picture of what it will... recently realized that getting the customer to sell their products is the best way to increase sales In other words, the world of marketing really revolves around word of mouth, not around sales and advertising Word of mouth is not just a welcome by-product of good marketing You talk, people listen Then they talk it over with their friends, family, and trusted advisors Then they buy, but not before talking... people will bring in other people You should include the following reference in any fax or photocopy of the poem you provide to someone: Quoted in The Secrets of Word -of- Mouth Marketing: How to Trigger Exponential Sales through Runaway Word of Mouth, George Silverman, AMACOM, New York, 2001 This book will keep you off the crooked road of conventional marketing and set you on the “straight and narrow... through the information, distill and refine it, filter it, and then give us the benefit of their experience The good news is that the Information Age contains the seeds of its own solutions: The very media that threaten to overwhelm us are themselves the means for coping with the problems they create Virtually any information channel is itself also potentially a word-ofmouth channel So, as the information... minimize just a few of those decision bottlenecks for your customers, you can reduce their decision time by 16 The Secrets of Word -of- Mouth Marketing more than half, thereby multiplying the sales and market share of your product or service In my thirty-plus years as a marketing consultant, I’ve seen it happen for products and services of every description, whether the decision cycle for the product was... and back, And still their devious course pursue, To keep the path that others do They keep the path a sacred groove, Along which all their lives they move But how the wise old wood gods laugh, Who saw that first primeval calf! —by SAM WALTER FOSS, 1895 Please feel free to copy this poem and give it to a friend or colleague It’s an example of one of the secrets of word -of- mouth marketing: Give people... enhances the value of the product and gives it a competitive advantage Stated another way, the product with the better decision-support system often has the competitive edge, even if the product itself is not superior I am the world’s worst salesman, therefore, I must make it easy for people to buy —F W Woolworth This isn’t just theory It is a fact of life for every product or service, whether it’s... byway If the road smooths the way for prospects, the speed limit goes up and there can be enormous market-share gains This makes decision acceleration the most critical element on the road to market success How Do You Do This? Go to some of the better Web sites, like some of the Microsoft small business sites These Web sites are not only giving information, they are guiding people through the decision . to go it blind, Along the calf-paths of the mind; And work away from sun to sun, To do what other men have done. 2 The Secrets of Word -of- Mouth Marketing They follow in the beaten track, And. Word of Mouth • Internal Word -of- Mouth CHAPTER 5—Using Word of Mouth to Speed the Decision Process 65 The Decision Process • How Word of Mouth Works in Different Parts of the Adoption Cycle • The Decision. with High-Ticket, Professional Products • Which Word -of- Mouth Methods Work Best? • Word -of- Mouth Checklist • Building a Professional Practice through Word of Mouth • The Word -of- Mouth Toolkit CHAPTER