Basing Your Marketing Plan on Personal Recommendations: Trust
Before you accept a recommendation from someone, you must trust his or her judgment and integrity. Dr. Sidney Levy, chairman of the marketing department at Northwestern University, explains it this way: “More personal than advertising and smacking of “inside” information, word of mouth can be a uniquely powerful marketing tool. If somebody you trust suggests something is meaningful, that is more important to you than information presented in an impersonal way.”
A good example is when a friend goes out of his way to introduce you to someone. Such introductions are explicit or implied personal recommendations, and most people are careful about making them. When you are on the receiving end of one, you evaluate the person making the introduction as carefully as you do the person being introduced. For instance, think of three people you work with and then imagine that each recommends a different pilot (none of whom you know) to take you up in a small plane. Whom would you be more likely to go with? Would you go with any of them? How much would your choice be influenced by the person doing the recommending?
Source: Michael Phillips & Salli Rasberry, “Marketing Without Advertising: Easy Ways to Build a Business Your Customers Will Love and Recommend,” Nolo, 2008
Republished by Why Online Marketing
