Getting Beyond Word of Mouth

“I get all of my business from ‘word-of-mouth.“’

It’s a standard response for many businesses, and I both understand and respect the sentiment of hoping that the way it has always been done will suffice.

We've all heard a version of the quote by Marshall Goldsmith, and I think it's important to add here - because when you're ready to grow, you cannot accelerate word of mouth! There's no way to scale or take your business to the next level on JUST word of mouth, and referrals, unless your entire business model is about strategic partnership, affiliate/referral programs!

Been there, bought the T-Shirt!

As my husband Craig and I were starting our small digital marketing business almost 15 years ago, I used to say (and believe) that the strategies of traditional marketing, like “word-of-mouth,” would make us successful.

And, to be honest, it did - for a while.

While Word of Mouth can be an important aspect of your business development, over the years, I have learned the truth about what differentiates the most successful entrepreneurs from the ones who have to constantly hustle, and work their asses off every single day to keep the machine running.

The most successful entrepreneurs use Word of Mouth “marketing” as a back-end business strategy.

Instead of leading with “We get all of our business from referrals and word of mouth,” they have systems that provide them with sources for leads that meet all 4 of these criteria:

• Consistent
• Reliable
• Predictable
• Qualified

Word of Mouth Marketing is not any of these things.

If we can’t control the lead flow, we’re at the mercy of things that may or may not happen each month.

(Note: As I am writing this, there's a voice in my head chiming in about "being in control." As a female entrepreneur, there's feeling of shame about control, that hopefully, I am not alone in feeling! As a business owner, there are aspects of the business that we must have control over, or, we're likely to crash our plane.

Lead generation, sales and revenue are NOT something we can "hope for the best" and get by without a proven system. This took a long time for me to acknowledge - and I hope that it doesn't take you as long to figure out as it did me. I would love for my experience to save someone sleepless nights, and anxiety about the bottom line decisions that we have to make as business owners!)

Now, back to this newsletter!

Word of Mouth is something that people commonly consider marketing, but it’s really just something that just naturally should happen in every business that does a good job, and that has great products and customer service. The thing is that many people commonly use it to replace actual marketing. And this can lead to big problems!

I made this mistake for a long time!

Because I felt comfortable with what we were doing for marketing, I didn’t want (or see the need) to do anything else. I was able to convince myself that it WAS working - until one day, it wasn’t.

New competitors, new changes in the marketplace, new opportunities will continue to bring new challenges.

And that is why I finally sat down and took a serious look at how I was going to take my business to the next level, by asking myself these 3 questions that forced me to face reality:

??? Is it the right thing to do to give away the control of my business’s capacity to grow consistently, by letting my lead generation be left completely to chance?

??? What happens when I want to expand to a new market where I don’t have a reputation?

??? Is it smart to put the success of my business in other people’s hands? Sure my clients and I have great relationships, but should I depend on them to help me get the word out, rather than take initiative myself?

Why do Systems Matter?

When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I really didn’t have a system. I was simply “getting by” and overwhelmed at the thought of diving into Lead-generation.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but because of this, I had to work a lot harder to keep a steady flow of business coming in. I was definitely NOT working Smarter, and as a result, I was working harder and harder and harder, and getting more and more tired.

Marketing isn’t something many business owners understand, but it’s really the heart and soul of any successful, sustainable business.

While word-of-mouth may work for you right now, it isn’t “a marketing strategy” on its own. Shifting this mindset is the number 1 game changer! If you’re getting a good amount of referrals now, this is the PERFECT time to start thinking seriously about your online marketing strategy!

So, here are 2 questions for you today:

? How heavily are you relying on word-of-mouth for your business?

?Do you want/ are you ready to start changing how you market your business?

If you're ready to take this first step, comment "I want Leads!" below, and we will give you access to our 27 Lead Magnets Worksheet that can help you get started!