Customer Evangelism?

Posted by jake on 31st March, 2010 ·

In this day of social media, stiff competition, and economic uncertainty you have to be thrilled with YOU and your business. If you are effective your customers will become “evangelists” for YOU. Your most potent marketing force in this environment are your present customers. A visit to your local business should be an amazing experience. Yes, I know the adjectives might have the average plumber or tire store going “huh?” but if you don’t the big chains with the even bigger and deeper pockets are going to quickly eliminate you in short order. I would highly suggest you download my free e book

The word “evangelist” was used in a book written by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba teaches you how turn those boring customers(just kidding) into rabid “evangelists” They conducted a year long study leading to “Creating Customer Evangelists”. The study lays out the structure and system for starting a campaign to implement the “evangelist initiative” The end game is all about creating a communities of customers into evangelists and persuaders who move sales or whatever means money in your business world.

The visionary companies who opened their doors to Ben and Jackie and discussed what they are doing to create these groups of fired up go getters getting the word out about your business. They came up with a list of six major ways these companies are getting the whole “customer evangelism” program implemented.

Invite customer feedback continuously.
Give and give and give knowledge freely.
Build word-of-mouth networks in a systematic way.
Community, community, community – find ways to bring customers together.
Develop bait for your customers that are easily grabbed.
Make things bigger than a sale – Create a cause.

“Creating Customer Evangelists” profiles a series of well funded companies that you as a local Tucson Business can piggy back on all the way to the top of your local market. One of the excellent features of this book is that it gives you the good, the bad and the ugly.

Some of the companies highlighted are:

The Dallas Mavericks

Southwest Airlines

IBM

: Image via Wikipedia

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

These and now multitudes of other have effectively created programs that local businesses can implement without draining their reserves. The beautiful thing is that by implementing these principles you are in essence mass producing an army of sales people and are by far as mentioned the most potent marketing force you can create.

By building “bottom up” companies mentioned above are building a marketing approach The key is to go beyond the surface in customer relationships. Notice I didn’t say customer service. Customer relationships are something that are a two way street. The key is turning good customers into communities binding them together empowering them to become sensational devotees who are constantly “spreading the world” about how special your local business is and how their friends have to check you out.

Anyone from a professor of marketing to the teenager with a entrepreneurial bent should include this book in their “must read” list.

http://www.creatingcustomerevangelists.com/