BNI Asks 'Is Word of Mouth the Safest Form of Advertising?' |
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By: Michael R. Drew Posted: 2007-02-28 03:58:04 |
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An ancient proverb says: "He who accepts free firewood from a stranger also accepts free termites." The world of referral networking has a corollary to this proverb: "He who refers friends to a firewood salesman had better inspect all the logs."
In other words: "While giving a good referral will enhance your relationship, a bad referral will hurt it," writes Dr. Ivan Misner in his latest best-selling book, "Truth or Delusion, Busting Networking's Biggest Myths" (www.TruthorDelusion.com). "If the person you referred does a poor job or is dishonest, your reputation is what takes the biggest hit." "Word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising -- but it's not the safest," notes Misner, Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world's largest business networking organization. "In word-of-mouth or referral marketing, your integrity and your reputation are on the line all the time. You can't hide behind an ad." Word of mouth marketing works great -- when it's worked right. It's highly effective in part because you are putting your very own "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" on every business or service provider to which you refer people. Those who refer prospects to you are taking the same risk. So, word of mouth isn't a marketing technique for the faint of heart. But it can generate profitable, long-term business relationships better than any other approach. Getting it right can require unlearning some popularly held marketing myths -- and that's where a book like Misner's Truth or Delusion comes in handy. Don't play it safe...play it smart...by getting this best-selling book via Amazon.com: http://301url.com/4m8. Questions? Call Dr. Ivan Misner at BNI Headquarters in the USA at 1-909-608-7575. BNI (www.bni.com) is the world's largest business networking organization, with more than 4,500 chapters in 34 countries worldwide. BNI's Founder & Chairman, Dr. Ivan Misner is the author of several book's including the NY Times best-seller, "Masters of Networking" (www.MastersofNetworking.com), and the recently released #1 best-seller, "Truth or Delusion, Busting Networking's Biggest Myths" (www.TruthorDelusion.com). He is also the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute (www.referralinstitute.com), a referral training company with operations around the world. |
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