In Magnetic: The Art of Attracting Business, author, speaker and business adviser Joe Calloway details ways you can turn existing customers into magnets that attract new customers through word of mouth and positive reviews.
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The not-so-tricky trick he espouses is controlling what people say about your business—not by discouraging reviews or silencing criticism, but by deciding what you want customers to say and then providing the kind of product or service that will inspire those very praises. “The key to this idea working is to not settle for something like ‘we want them to say good things.’” Calloway writes. “That’s meaningless. The key is to be focused and specific on exactly what you want your customers saying about you.”
To that end, he recommends identifying your three “what we want them to say” statements, which will be different for every business. For example, one business might want customers saying “they’ve got the lowest prices in town”; another might prefer “the service they provide is worth paying more for.” Here’s a sampling of compliments you might want customers sharing about your business:
1. They make it very easy to do business with them.
2. They always keep me informed.
3. They are problem solvers.
4. They respect me.
5. They have the best products.
6. I trust them.
Once you’ve identified the three things you want customers to say, your focus can and should be making sure they do, with services that target those specific goals. “You may have a business with a thousand moving parts,” Calloway writes. “You may feel, justifiably, that it’s very complicated. But I assure you that if you simplify your thinking to get clarity on and focus on the three things you must get right every single day, it will be the guiding force that drives success.”
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This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
