Thanks to one of my WOM colleagues, Walter Karl, I have learned about a new book written by one of his friends on the topic of WOM and Consumer Behavior: Consumer Behaviour: Applications in Marketing and is published by Sage (here’s the link at Amazon).
While you can read the entire book yourself, which I am sure is as fascinating as it sounds, here are a couple of great points from the book that Walter has highlighted on his blog site about popular misconceptions about WOM.
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It is not true that negative WOM is more common or more powerful than positive WOM;
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It is not true that most WOM is driven primarily by satisfaction or dissatisfaction (though these are often involved);
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It is not true that long-term customers usually recommend more than short-term customers.
For those of you who have heard me speak on this topic, this book helps to support my theories on WOM.
If you are a small business owner, what does this mean to you?
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Do not fear WOM
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Positive WOM is just as powerful, maybe even more so, as negative WOM
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Do not assume that satisfied customers will spread the word about your business (give them a reason to and make it easy for them!)
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All happy customers are potential evangelists for your business – not just repeat customers
Again, real WOM is a very effective tool for growing your business, and small business owners tend to know this best! Plus, it generally is far cheaper than most paid advertising or marketing options. Nothing beats the positive recommendation from someone you know for – restaurants, hair salons, auto mechanics, plumbers, lawn care, etc. You know it, and several studies can prove it. So put WOM to work for your business.
Coming soon, I will provide more information on specific tools you can use to help inspire your customers to spread the word and give them several easy ways to do so.
Simply asking your customers to spread the word usually is NOT enough. Even those with the best intentions to do so will forget – everyone has lives that are just too busy.
So what can you today to help generate more WOM for your business? How can you attract great new customers?
Keep this in mind: people talk to their friends about memorable events in their lives. So stay focused on creating memories for your customers – give them something to talk about! Impress them with great service, great conversation and/or great products. And if you see a customer begin to express dissatisfaction, seize the opportunity to create a “WOW” moment! Do whatever you can so that your business enters the conversations of that customer later in the day or week (with a great story to tell!).
