14 PREMISES OF EFFECTIVE WORD OF MOUTH:

The most effective marketing is, we all know it, word of mouth. Here's 14
"seed thoughts" to consider when you think of word of mouth marketing.

warmest,
tad

1. The Law of the Niche: Trying to reach everyone is futile. Life becomes easier as you choose a focus.

2. The Law of 1000 Miles: the conversion of stranger to client is one of many steps.

3. The Law of Irresistible Steps: Make each step irresistible. Each step must be low risk and high value (high R.O.I.) to your niche - and ideally low cost to you. Remember: people want solutions to problems and relief from pain - they want you to do it for them, to have it already figured out and be told what to do, they want you to hold their hand. They don’t want to have to spend years educating themselves and read reams of info and listen to hours of audio. What drives sales in this process is not “closing techniques” but “irresistible offers”. Marketing is best woven in from the start - not plopped on at the end

4. The Law of Push-Back. Pressure is deadly. The entire process must be pressure free - they must be 100% in control. People love buying but they hate being sold to.

5. The Law of Gossip. People love to share their opinions and experiences (good and bad) with their friends. If people like you and like what you do they are already talking about you to their friends. The stronger the emotional intensity of their experience the more often and more intensely they will share their experience (whether positive or negative).

6. The Law of Advertising: People don’t trust ads & pitches. People mistrust things that look like advertising or sales pitches. Their defenses go up. The most successful marketing will therefore be authentic, genuine endorsements from people they already trust.

7. The Law of Problems: In the prospects mind, they are not looking for your product or service, they are looking for solutions to problems. They want relief from pain. They’re look for a particular result that is self serving to them. There is a particular need that they are trying to fulfill. Everything in your marketing must be geared around this.

8. The Law of Empathy: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. In old sales, you would spend hours identifying people’s problems. In today’s market you need to walk in with a deep understanding and empathy for the pains they are experiencing and the frustrations that they have with your industry.

9. The Law of Alignment: In order to influence people you must know what already influences them; you must know what is most important to them. And then you must do whatever it takes to make your business a living, breathing expression of those values.

10. The “Birds of a feather” Law:

11. Bigger Birds: Some birds are bigger and sing louder and more beautifully than others.

12. The Law of Endorsement: In order to influence people you must know who already influences them. And then you must do whatever it takes to get the endorsement of those people and groups.

13. The Law of Hand to Hand: There are things you can do to support people in talking about you. You must create materials that can be passed on at the point of conversation.

14. Marketing = community building. Pick a niche and become a champion of that community, help it to thrive.