All Customers Are Not Created Equal

To refresh your memory on the first two types of people who spread word of mouth, mavens collect the information of the message, and connectors spread the message through their social network. The third type of person, however, is critical to word-of-mouth marketing. This person nudges, prompts, and persuades someone to do something. He or she is a salesman.

We all know salesmen. They have a natural exuberance and greet you with vigorous handshakes, hugs, and even kisses. They are genuinely happy to see you. There is no fakiness in their demeanor. High on life, they exude enthusiasm, energy, likability, and often charm. They believe that thinking can overcome negativity and are very positive people. They love their job, and they love their clients.

They are hard to resist. Just why is this? Since 85% of our communication is nonverbal, studies have found that in communication nonverbal cues are more important than verbal ones. Little cues can make a big difference. Even the nod of a head can garner agreement to one's position. Salesmen instinctively know about these cues and use them in ways that we do not appreciate.

You see, when two people converse, they establish a rhythm to their conversation. Salesmen differ from others in that they set the conversation's pattern and, by doing so, conduct the conversation on their terms. Without trying, salesmen draw others into their conversational rhythm. Good speakers and musicians do this. They draw the crowd into synchrony with them.

You cannot resist this draw. You will find that a good salesman builds trust in five to ten minutes. Their emotion is contagious, and they want to pass on their happiness to you. You can distill this down to that some people are more expressive and others are more susceptible to this expression. Howard Friedman, a psychologist at the University of California Riverside, developed what he calls an Affective Communications Test which measures a person's ability to be contagious. After giving this test to several people, he conducted an experiment in which he took a few dozen who were contagious and placed each in a room with a person who was not. His results showed that the emotion of the contagious person, whether happy or sad, was "picked up" by the other person after two minutes of exposure with no conversation. Emotionally contagious people, or salesmen, can easily infect another person with their mood in that short a time and, believe it or not, without talking.

That is how salesmen "persuade." They infect others with their contagious emotions about a product or service.

What does knowing about salesmen, connectors, and mavens mean for your marketing?

First of all, differentiating your customer is important. Some are mavens. Some are connectors. Some are salesmen. Some are two of these. Some may even be all three. Many are none. The result is that not all customers promote your business equally with word-of-mouth marketing.

Since they don't, it is important for you to know each of these types. When you encounter a type, recognize that person as a maven, a connector, or a salesman. Each one has a different strength, and each one has a different outlook. Mavens want to know and help others with that knowledge. Connectors want to tell and give the message to a wide variety of people. Salesmen want to infect others with their enthusiasm about your product, service, or information.

Appeal to the strength of each type of individual. Give mavens information. Make it easy for connectors to tell others. Infect salesmen with enthusiasm about your business.

Remember, all customers are not created equal in their potential to spread word of mouth about your business. To maximize your word-of-mouth marketing, treat them according to their type.