Why is a happy customer your best strategy (and an unhappy one your biggest adversary)?

Has it ever happened that you have invested huge amounts of assets in advertising but the final result was merely… satisfactory? If you were lucky (or you already know the secret revealed in this article), you've probably spent minimal resources on a truly good product with extreme success.

If the former applies to you, have a word with your marketing agency. If it’s the latter, there is an expert explanation and a word for it even though you may not know it yet.

It is WOM marketing.

“You mean: WOW?”

No, WOM.

WOM marketing – what the…?

Word-of-mouth marketing or WOM marketing happens when the interest of consumers in a product or service of a certain company is reflected in their everyday conversations. It is basically free advertising triggered by customer experience – most of the time, it exceeds expectations.

WOM marketing is the result of several factors: of a product that exceeds expectations, of a good user experience and of giving exclusive information to consumers.

Proof: a washing machine

Here is a personal story: Ksenija, our key account manager, has many years of experience and is familiar with all the tricks, when it comes to sales.

About a month ago, Ksenija mentioned that she needed a new washing machine as the old one was giving up slowly but steadily. All that while casually sipping her coffee at our table where we usually have lunch. She had already researched all the models suitable for her and had printed out all the specifications so she can decide based on comparison. However, she was only willing to pay a certain amount for the new machine and not a penny more.

Just as her story was coming to an end, Marija, our head of administration, came to the coffee machine and caught the words “giving up, “washing machine” and “comparison”. Without waiting her turn to speak, she told Ksenija she knew exactly what she needed!

She herself bought a new one just a couple of months ago and would not want any other washing machine in the world (just between us: she actually said that she would rather change her husband than her incredible washing machine, but we are not sure how serious she was being). 

The machine (further on referred to as Washy, as Marija named it) dispenses the softener and washing agent fully automatically based on the weight of the laundry. She can also always add a sock or two that she might have overlooked while filling the machine, and she got a personally assigned serviceman who is also available during weekends and who called a month after setting the machine up and asked if she was happy with Washy! She simply couldn’t believe it – the serviceman actually called her? Does that mean servicemen can actually make calls, too? Awesome!

Ksenija has already made up her mind. Forget about models and makes! She has known Marija for many years and knows how precise she can be about cleaning in general, therefore she believes her more than any ad. Although she did plan on spending a little less, she will be happy to add another €100 because all the features of Washy sound really useful according to Marija, let alone the personal serviceman available during weekends! Ksenija is certain she will have the same machine too!

Sometimes, we need to look beyond the price.

If companies were nowadays aware of what power recommendations by family and friends hold, they would certainly pay a lot more attention to the user experience. You don’t believe us? We’re sure you’ve been left a little speechless when a sales person is unexpectedly friendly and helpful. Because they went the extra mile. They might have called their branch in another town to see if the product you want is in stock there. They checked online to find out what the abbreviation in the specifications meant. They gave you an extra discount even though they didn't have to.

We all know that this should be the norm, but let us not go there today. One way or another, you should certainly consider if you are doing everything you can in this regard.