I heard an excellent story on Jay Baer’s podcast called Talk Triggers about the power of word of mouth. A Clifton, New Jersey oral surgeon, has built a remarkable business. He is a competent oral surgeon but doesn’t do his job demonstrably different from others in his field. However, he has the most prominent practice and turns away business. His rates are higher than competitors. Oral surgeons are an extremely competitive category, especially in the NY/NJ metro area.
What makes Dr. Gorab different?
The oral surgeon realized that when people come to him for their first visit, they are fearful. No one wants to have a root canal or wisdom teeth extracted. He empathizes with their situation. So, he does something his competitors aren’t doing.
Hello, this is Dr. Gorab
Over the weekend, he calls every new client on the phone. He asks if they have any questions about the procedures, they will have this week. By reaching out to new clients, Dr. Gorab finds that it helps them feel more relaxed and less afraid of the scary dental procedure. This is how word of mouth marketing works.
His competitors don’t do this simple thing. His new clients are often surprised and pleased to get this level of personal service and attention.
What does this marketing effort cost? Nothing but Dr. Gorab’s time.
The results? He gets more referrals because his clients tell the story of the oral surgeon who called them before their visit. Almost 80% of clients mention this outreach and empathy.
Small things make all the difference. How is your company using empathy to understand your customer’s concerns and, reaching out to build trust?
Need some human marketing solutions? You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Listen to Jay’s podcast here for more details and check out his new book called Talk Triggers.
Photo by: https://www.pexels.com/@rodolfoclix
