Synopses & Reviews
The small business guru behind Duct Tape Marketing shares his most valuable lesson: how to get your customers to do your best marketing for you.
The power of glitzy advertising and elaborate marketing campaigns is on the wane; word- of-mouth referrals are what drive business today. People trust the recommendation of a friend, family member, colleague, or even stranger with similar tastes over anything thrust at them by a faceless company.
Most business owners believe that whether customers refer them is entirely out of their hands. But science shows that people can't help recommending products and services to their friends-it's an instinct wired deep in the brain. And smart businesses can tap into that hardwired desire.
Marketing expert John Jantsch offers practical techniques for harnessing the power of referrals to ensure a steady flow of new customers. Keep those customers happy, and they will refer your business to even more customers. Some of Jantsch's strategies include:
-Talk with your customers, not at them. Thanks to social networking sites, companies of any size have the opportunity to engage with their customers on their home turf as never before-but the key is listening.
-The sales team is the most important part of your marketing team. Salespeople are the company's main link to customers, who are the main source of referrals. Getting them on board with your referral strategy is critical.
-Educate your customers. Referrals are only helpful if they're given to the right people. Educate your customers about whom they should be talking to.
The secret to generating referrals lies in understanding the "Customer Referral Cycle"-the way customers refer others to your company who, in turn, generate even more referrals. Businesses can ensure a healthy referral cycle by moving customers and prospects along the path of Know, Like, Trust, Try, Buy, Repeat, and Refer. If everyone in an organization keeps this sequence in mind, Jantsch argues, your business will generate referrals like a well-oiled machine.
This practical, smart, and original guide is essential reading for any company looking to grow without a fat marketing budget.
Review
"A swift, appealing read and a thorough primer on the power of letting your products and customers speak for themselves."
-Publishers Weekly
"Frankly, I had no idea how John was going to top Duct Tape Marketing. The book is a classic. But with The Referral Engine, John puts you in the driver's seat and shows you the steps to achieving marketing success without a huge budget. Go no further. Buy this now."
-Chris Brogan, coauthor of Trust Agents
"I don't think there are many people who know more about small business marketing than John does, and I'm certain that there's no one more generous in sharing tips and insights. What, exactly, are you waiting for? This book will pay for itself in one day."
-Seth Godin, author of Linchpin
"For Zappos, part of delivering a great customer experience means developing personal and emotional connections, both with employees and customers. These are the types of connections people talk about with their friends and family. This book will show you how to give people something to talk about."
-Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com
"Who knew that there's a science to referrals? Not I-but now that I know, I want you to benefit from John's expertise. In a sense, a jacket blurb is the ultimate referral, and I'm here to blurb this book because it will help you succeed in business."
-Guy Kawasaki, cofounder of Alltop
Review
“
Duct Tape Selling explores several counterintuitive routes to sales success, but it starts with the most important skill of all: listening. If we want to move others—with our ideas, our products, our services, or even ourselves—we have to slow down and understand what our counterparts are saying. And if you listen to John Jantsch, youll learn the attitudes and abilities required to master the new world of sales.” —
Daniel H. Pink, author,
To Sell Is Human and
Drive “Duct Tape Selling totally reframes the sales process, showing sellers how to leverage marketing strategies to connect, build value, and win more business.” —Jill Konrath, author, Agile Selling and SNAP Selling
“In an ever more connected society, consultative selling is (fortunately) the new driver of growth. Once again, John Jantsch turns our expectations upside down and shines a light on a better way to get things done.” —Seth Godin, author, The Icarus Deception
“Jantsch brings the concept of inbound selling to life with practical, actionable advice that can help turn any sales rep into a sales superstar. From effective storytelling to optimizing your social profile for success, Johns advice will give aspiring and existing salespeople alike the tools, context, and information they need to meet the needs of twenty-first-century buyers.” —Brian Halligan, HubSpot CEO and co-author, Inbound Marketing
“Duct Tape Selling holds answers for how real-world salespeople can connect and stick with real-world customers. If youre tired of seeing your sales fall apart, John Jantsch has the real-world answers.” —Jeffrey Gitomer, author, Little Red Book of Selling and 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling
“Duct Tape Selling does a fantastic job defining why the world of sales has changed, what the new world of sales looks like, and how you can become a modern sales professional.” —Jill Rowley, social selling evangelist, Oracle
Synopsis
A new paradigm gives salespeople the tools to think and act more like successful marketers The art of selling has evolved tremendously over the last few years. Todays hectic pace demands that sales professionals rethink their strategies and practices. They must attract, teach, convert, serve, and measure while developing an individual brand that stands for trust and expertise.
Now the popular author of Duct Tape Marketing teaches sales professionals how to apply the tactics of traditional marketing to their daily work. In Duct Tape Selling, salespeople will learn how to develop a marketing-based system to dramatically increase their effectiveness, stand above their competitors, and add value to their customer relationships.
Jantsch flips the traditional business modelwhere marketers owned the message while sellers owned the relationshipson its head. These days, he argues, marketers must get better at relationships and sales must perfect the message and delivery.
Synopsis
Many of the areas that salespeople struggle with these days have long been the domain of marketers, according to bestselling author John Jantsch. The traditional business model dictates that marketers own the message while sellers own the relationships. But now, Jantsch flips the usual sales approach on its head.
Its no longer enough to view a salespersons job as closing. Todays superstars must attract, teach, convert, serve, and measure while developing a personal brand that stands for trust and expertise.
In Duct Tape Selling, Jantsch shows how to tackle a changing sales environment, whether youre an individual or charged with leading a sales team. You will learn to think like a marketer as you:
- Create an expert platform
- Become an authority in your field
- Mine networks to create critical relationships within your company and among your clients
- Build and utilize your Sales Hourglass
- Finish the sale and stay connected
- Make referrals an automatic part of your process
As Jantsch writes: Most people already know that the days of knocking on doors and hard-selling are over. But as I travel around the world speaking to groups of business owners, marketers, and sales professionals, the number one question Im asked is, What do we do now?
Ive written this book specifically to answer that question. At the heart of it, marketing and sales have become activities that no longer simply support each other so much as feed off of each others activity. Sales professionals must think and act like marketers in order to completely reframe their role in the mind of the customer.”
About the Author
JOHN JANTSCH is a marketing consultant and author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Commitment Engine and The Referral Engine. He is the founder of the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network. His blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite and his podcast was called a must listen” by Fast Company. He lives in Kansas City.