When you do something memorable in your company or your life, very few people ever know about it (far fewer than when you screw up).
Why?
Simple answer: you didn’t tell anyone. You just expect people to find out on their own. Big mistake.
When you do something great, or something great happens, capture it and reproduce it for all to see.
Here are the three steps to take to maximize your exposure (get known) for the good things you do:
1. Document your success.
2. Replicate (duplicate) your loyal actions.
3. Tell everyone.
When a memorable event occurs within your company or with a customer, here are the avenues of exposure you can capture for others (including all your customers) to see your accomplishments.
A written testimonial.
A podcast interview.
An article in the newspaper.
An article in your newsletter/blog.
An article in their newsletter/blog.
A talk show.
A blurb on the news.
As part of a testimonial advertising campaign.
A video shot in their location using your product.
Once you capture the event, maximize it.
Duplicate the Duplication.
You get an article published in the Business Journal or in blogs written about your great service. WOW. You read it, your staff reads it, and you hope all your customers, prospects and competitors read it, but they don’t.
What do you do? Easy. Duplicate the article (professionally) and send it to EVERYONE. Put it in EVERY piece of outgoing mail for the next two months. Do a customer/prospect mailing. Do a target mailing. Do a broadcast fax. Repeat the best quote from the story in other ads. In short, maximize your good fortune and build good image at the same time.
Perhaps I’ve put the cart before the horse. The only way you can get these memorable events to take place is to create them. That may be too much of an assumption on my part. You may not be creating opportunities for stories of success.
Look around. What’s going on at your place. Anything? Anything exceptional? Anything newsworthy or worth bragging about to others who may be attracted to your business? Well, that’s the acid test. First there must be the prospect of something worthy of bragging about.
Now I’m not talking about a new product announcement. That means nothing to anyone except you. The things I’m referring to are memorable stories, exceptional service, unusual situations, and items of value to your customers and prospects.
Hint on creating stories:
Do something of value.
Do something helpful.
Do something giving.
Do something unexpected.
Do something creative.
Create your own stories of success doing something proactive (before prompted to do so). Then document them, replicate (duplicate) them, and tell everyone you know.
People will love your success especially if you combine it with theirs (your customer or prospect). There is only one group of people that will hate your success: your competition. Don’t you love it?