As a young adult, freshly graduated from college and excited about the world, I have made Indianapolis my new home. As a Chicago native, I had all of my resources in order, from mechanic to doctor to everything in between. If I needed it, I could guarantee that my family had a connection to someone, and a majority of the time, I had a family member who worked in that field anyway. Any different thing that came up, someone knew someone. There was always a person for the job. But now that I live somewhere further than a suburb of Chicago, I know that I need to find a new person for everything!
In this day and age, we have all of the resources we could ever need to find someone for the job. By putting “auto repair” into my Google Maps, I get just about 20 different hits within a very small radius. So who do I go with? I can read all of the reviews in the world, but nothing will ever top that verbal recommendation from someone. I’ll trust just about anyone’s opinion if they have thoughts either way.
Who Ya Gonna Call?
There are certain industries that people seek out recommendations for, and when it comes down to it I will more often than not make an effort to make an appointment with someone who I’ve heard things about. In terms of marketing even, I will trust that the person I’m talking to isn’t just making their opinions up. When I don’t know anything about what I’m talking about, like my car, you have to be able to blindly trust that the person standing in front of you isn’t just trying to rip you off for their own personal monetary gain.
As human beings, we want to help each other, whether that’s in times of danger or simply finding a good dentist. There is obvious and incredible value in having great reviews online, and there is nothing that can change that. There is just always going to be something special about receiving the verbal recommendation from someone. If you make someone’s experience positive, chances are, that person is going to continue to share their experience with those who are looking.
See a Need, Fill a Need
Word of mouth is an asset that can’t really be paid for. Unless, that is, you count referral bonuses or discounts. Having some sort of incentive could certainly be a motivator if your service is something that people are passionate about. If it keeps people coming back to your service, that is powerful.
I want my person to be whoever your person is. And if you are the person, I want people to tell me that you’re their person. Having positive and glowing reviews online is great, but sometimes it’s all about making that difference and connecting with someone to make them want to throw your hat into the ring for you. I’m currently working on finding my new people for the job, and I’m working on building my list of recommendations for other people as well.