Mel Feller, MPA, MHR, Discusses Word of Mouth Marketing. Mel is the President/Founder of Mel Feller Seminars with Coaching for Success 360, Inc. and Mel Feller Coaching. Mel Feller maintains offices in Texas and in Utah. It is as important to know what word of mouth marketing IS as what it IS NOT. Word-of-Mouth (W-O-M) is about involving, educating and satisfying customers. It is not about abandoning your marketing plan and advertising campaign. It is not enough to simply provide good customer service and wait for the buzz to build. In fact, let us test your knowledge of W-O-M with this simple quiz. Select the most suitable answer to the following questions. Answers are at the end of the handout/article. Mel Feller, MPA, MHR, is a well-known real estate, business consultant, personal development consultant and speaker, specializing in performance, productivity, and profits. Mel is the President/Founder of Mel Feller Seminars with Coaching For Success 360, Inc. and Mel Feller Coaching, a real estate and business specific coaching company. His three books for real estate professionals are systems on how to become an exceptional sales performer. His four books in Business and Government Grants are ways to leverage and increase your business Success in both time and money! His book on Personal Development “Lies that Will Sabotage Your Success”. Mel Feller is in Texas and In Utah. Currently an MBA Candidate

1. Mel Feller, MPA, MHR, Discusses Word of Mouth Marketing.
Mel is the President/Founder of Mel Feller Seminars with Coaching for Success 360, Inc. and Mel
Feller Coaching. Mel Feller maintains offices in Texas and in Utah.
It is as important to know what word of mouth marketing IS as what it IS NOT. Word-of-Mouth
(W-O-M) is about involving, educating and satisfying
customers. It is not about abandoning your
marketing plan and advertising campaign. It is not
enough to simply provide good customer service
and wait for the buzz to build. In fact, let us test
your knowledge of W-O-M with this simple quiz.
Select the most suitable answer to the following
questions. Answers are at the end of the
handout/article.
WHAT IS WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING?
1. Great Word-of-Mouth is
a. an art
b. a science
c. a matter of chance
2. The leading form of communication is
a. Word-of-Mouth
b. print media
c. the Internet
3. The most influential factor in your business is
a. a marketing consultant
b. memorable advertising
c. an educated consumer
4. You can involve customers by
a. seeking their opinions and input
b. soliciting testimonials
c. sending gifts as incentives
5. Word-of-Mouth is primarily controlled by
a. your sales force
b. your competition
Mel Feller, MPA, MHR, Discusses Word of Mouth
Marketing.

2. c. you
6. Promotional success results from
a. a combination of marketing efforts
b. high visibility advertising
c. a strong marketing plan
7. The most effective technique for handling negative Word-of-Mouth is
a. an immediate response
b. an accurate response
c. putting the right spin on it
8. Your Word-of-Mouth marketing and your advertising should be
a. consistent
b. collaborative
c. competitive
9. Customers are most likely to spread the word about your business if
a. they're happy with your service
b. anyone happens to ask
c. they're dissatisfied
10. A referred customer will probably
a. pass along the recommendation to others
b. approach you warily
c. expect a price break
Word-of-Mouth does not just happen. You have to generate it yourself. Too many entrepreneurs
believe that simply providing an excellent product or service is enough to catapult people to their
door. Marketing plans based on W-O-M require an understanding of the "science" of purchasing
decisions. Think about a business that you yourself have recommended and consider what
aspects inspired this endorsement.
People tend to share their disappointment rather than their satisfaction. Your customers are not
any different. Although great customer service cannot hurt your business, it is more likely to
decrease negative W-O-M than significantly increase positive W-O-M. The reason is that people
always expect great customer service as the standard. Any deviation from that standard will
produce negative feedback through word of mouth and not to the owner.
Always respond immediately to negative Word-of-Mouth. Determine whether an unreasonable

3. customer or a competitor cast the slander and respond calmly with a solid point-by-point
defense. When customers comes to you with a complaint, do what you can to send them away
happy. This is cannot be emphasized enough. In fact, we cannot grow in our business without
feedback. Look at it as a way to improve your business and then follow up with that customer to
let them know how grateful you are for their feedback and that this problem has been rectified.
Negative feelings occur in a heartbeat, but can linger for years if you do not deal with them
immediately. Let your customers know that they can always bring their complaints to you.
Involvement is a simple and effective way to build W-0-M. Involve your customers by providing
them with valuable information about the quality of your product/service. You can offer a tour
(either in person or on video) of your production facility to the public and clients. At the retail
level, offer hands-on demonstrations of how your product/service works, explaining the benefits
and providing tips on maintenance and service. Some manufacturers will go out of their way to
invite customers to participate on a product review panel.
Build W-O-M through testimonials. Testimonials are easy to understand and relate to and they
allow prospects to visualize using your product. You can solicit formal letters, or--if you overhear
a passing compliment or recommendation from a customer--request permission to quote them in
your next ad or newsletter. Always get authorization before using the quotations and maintain a
file in case you need to verify the source. Another great way is to take pictures or videos. People
can always relate to the genuineness’ of the customer. By doing that, it will also help your
advertising by having; their family members flock to your website to see them. In addition, it has
always been a practice of mine to include kids. If kids love things, the parents will always follow!
An often-overlooked aspect of W-O-M is the way you treat your employees, suppliers, friends and
acquaintances. Your ability to inspire trust will be communicated to your customers and
prospects. Your policies and practices publicize that belief. Sales representatives, wholesalers,
distributors, vendors, creditors, consultants, and industry experts also contribute to your
reputation. Do not be afraid to use their influence. Provide them with the ammo to fire up your
sales. Let them know that you build quality into your work. Tell stories of successful customers.
Let those customers be show cased on your web and in your store. I also believe in always giving
them a 10% discount ever after they have given their story. Their repeat business is priceless.
Now the big question is, where can you find inspirational stories? I recommend that you reward
your employees and staff with incentives to gather and to collect customer interactions that
depict your company's honesty and integrity. Share these stories at staff meetings. Use them
generously in brochures, newspaper, radio and television advertising, direct mail pieces,
newsletters and personal correspondence with customers. In addition, highlight your employees
so they feel appreciated.
Here are several free and low-cost tactics you can adopt to drive word of mouth marketing for
your small business.

4. Provide top-notch products and services. Customers will only extol your virtues if they are happy
with what they have bought. What you sell and how you sell it, should live up to or exceed what
your customers expect based on your ads, sales pitch, and industry standards. Remember, word
of mouth works two ways. If customers are unhappy with your company, they will complain
loudly and publicly about their bad experience.
Provide excellent customer service. The secret is treat your customers and prospects the way
you would like to be treated yourself. A few basics: Smile at customers when you talk to them. Be
polite. Answer their questions. Do not keep them waiting unnecessarily. Whenever possible have
a real person answer the phone. If you must send callers to voice mail, have something in your
voice mail announcement that lets them know how soon you will return their call. Then, return
their call within the stated period. If you provide a service, get the customers' projects done on
time and within their budget. Keep them informed about changes, delays, or other information
they would want to know.
Be friendly. If you have customers, you come into your store or restaurant regularly, take a
minute to smile and say "Hi" and ask how they are doing today. If you know a customer's name,
call them by name. Friendly hellos and a few seconds of small talk make most people feel
welcome and like they are dealing with a friend. If you have customers call you, do the same
thing, if possible.
Answer questions that prospects have with facts, not jargon, and if you sell something technical,
do not talk down to the customer or get annoyed if they have trouble understanding what you
are saying. Rephrase your answer so the customer does understand it. If there is some industry
news or product information that will be helpful to customers, pass it along to them.
Thank your customers for their business. Everyone likes to be appreciated, and customers are no
exception. While you may have the words printed on receipts or included in email confirmations
of sales, or you or your staff may say "Thanks" in person, doing something such as sending a
handwritten thank you card to new customers or a returning customer will set you apart as a
business who cares about their customers and is worth recommending.
Return calls as promptly after you have made the sale as you did before. If there’s going to be a
delay in delivering a product or service, let the customer know about the delay as soon as you
become aware of it, and let them know why there is a delay and what options they have.
If a customer calls with a complaint about your product or service, do not argue with them or
point fingers. Apologize (even if you think the customer may be wrong) and solve their problem
or offer a refund. By handling problems quickly and efficiently, you and your employees can turn
angry customers into fans and advocates.

5. Be sure you and your employees are always polite no matter how rude or angry a customer
may be. Never raise your voice, be sarcastic, or speak in a demeaning way to customers.
Keep in touch with customers and prospects by email. Using email to communicate regularly
with customers and prospects who have requested to be on your mailing list helps them
remember you and brings repeat business. If you are regularly providing interesting information,
coupons, or other material customers want, they will brag to their friends who have similar
interests about the benefits they have derived from you and your company.
Be personally visible to your market. Join networking groups and industry groups that your
customers join and be a regular attendee at meetings and events. Talk to people at meetings to
find out what they do and what is important to them and what challenges they face. When you
can, give them tips or point them to resources they need, even though it has nothing to do with
your business. Your goal is to be thought of as a friend and problem-solver - not just a
salesperson.
Be Active in Social Media. Set up Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Linked In pages for your
business. Consider Pinterest and SlideShare, too. Choose the social media channels that are most
likely to reach your target customers. Then encourage your customers to like them, follow them
and share what you post on them. Run contests and special promotions to encourage shares. A
social media "share" spreads the word of mouth about your company to all the people who
follow and like the customers who share your information. Test paid ads or promoted post
options on Facebook, too.
Add social share buttons to your website and email messages. The easier you make it for
customers and prospects to share your information and promotions, the more likely it is they will
do so.
Offer to be a speaker or give seminars at conferences, industry meetings, and libraries. Be sure
your talk delivers plenty of useful content. Delivering useful, factual information and problem-
solving tips about issues common to the audience will set you up as an expert and the go-to
person to solve the problems you talked about.
When people praise you, ask if you can use their comments on your website and/or promotional
material. The comments are testimonials you can use to help prospects “hear” good things about your
company.
Publicize any publicity you get. If a reporter quotes you, you win an award, you are a guest on a talk
show, let other people know about it. You can post newspaper clips on a store bulletin board, link to

6. them from your website, and mention the accomplishments in a newsletter. Knowing other people are
talking about you, will give your customers even more incentive to tell their friends about you.
Be involved in your community. Whether it is sponsoring a little league team, or an organization
event, your participation will help you and your business name will always be remembered.
Make your business name and phone number easy to find. Have it painted in big letters on
vehicles you use to service consumers or businesses so anyone who can see your vehicle knows how
to reach you. Leave several business cards with customers so they can hand them out when a
neighbor asks if they were happy with the job, you did and how to get in touch with you. Make your
business phone number visible on every page of your website.
Hone your networking skills. Join and become active in local business, community, or industry
groups that attract your targeted customers. Win respect (and business) by helping others in the group
achieve their goals.
Refer business to noncompeting businesses. When you refer customers, patients or clients to
others, those businesses are more likely to refer business to you.
Thank people who refer business to you. How you thank them will depend on the nature of your
business. The thanks may be in the form of a hand-written thank you card, a coupon, a cash reward,
or whatever is practical, expected, and ethical for your line of business. Thanking those who help you
will make them feel their efforts are greatly appreciated, which will make them be glad to recommend
you to more people. Remember; step out from the crowd and your competition!
Very few marketing strategies can match WOM in terms of viral potential or cost-efficiency.
The right strategy can explode a company onto the scene for mere pennies, but it does not just
happen by itself. Word of mouth marketing requires a genuine and meaningful customer
engagement with the target audience. It is a two-way participation.
Use the strategies we discussed here today, but remember that ultimately, it is meaningful
connection, rather than technique, that motivates customers to become brand ambassadors.
______________________________________________
Quiz Answers: 1b 2a 3c 4a 5c 6a 7a 8b 9c 10a

7. Mel Feller, MPA, MHR, is a well-known real estate, business consultant, personal development
consultant and speaker, specializing in performance, productivity, and profits. Mel is the
President/Founder of Mel Feller Seminars with Coaching For
Success 360, Inc. and Mel Feller Coaching, a real estate and
business specific coaching company. His three books for real
estate professionals are systems on how to become an
exceptional sales performer. His four books in Business and
Government Grants are ways to leverage and increase your
business Success in both time and money! His book on Personal
Development “Lies that Will Sabotage Your Success”. Mel Feller
is in Texas and In Utah. Currently an MBA Candidate.
Mel Feller, MPA, MHR