Stop putting all your eggs in one ‘word of mouth’ basket. Business owners rely too heavily on the notion that cheery chatter is going on about them. Why so optimistic? Do you rely on others to bolster your child’s ego? Do you rely on others to stop by and for no reason, work at increasing the value of your home? Of course you don’t. So don’t rely on others to build your business.

I know what you are thinking – referral marketing – that’s the buzz these days. Here’s the glitch. You are relying on your ‘word of mouth’ to be positive. Everyone has heard ‘bad news travels faster than good’ so why do we assume that only good news is being communicated about our business? Customers are emotional beings and their messages are conveyed with their own interests in mind. Control the message by delivering positive messaging through your various advertising channels. If you are receiving positive comments, they will build on your message. If some of the messages are negative, then your advertising is much needed damage control.

Advertisings job is to create inquiry. It’s a rare day in the life of a sales person that the phone rings and you hear “I’ll take two” on the other end of the phone. What you do hear are questions:

“Your flyer says limited quantities. If I come at 2pm, will there still be some left?”

“Can you explain the offer you have this month on flat screens?”

“Do the widgets on sale come in a variety of colours?”

If you are receiving calls or fielding questions, your advertising deserves a raise because it’s doing its part in making a connection with customers. It has made a great first impression and now it’s passing the baton to you for the next leg of the race. Don’t drop it!