Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz

I initially bought this book because I thought it would be about network marketing.  I was a bit surprised to find that it is actually written to traditional businesses.  However, I found that the concepts and the tools provided will be extremely useful to me in a variety of settings, particularly with the various non-profit organizations with which I volunteer.

 Andy’s basic message is this:  You can no longer hide a bad product by putting it in a pretty package and developing a clever commercial to market it.  The minute the consumer opens it up and actually uses it, the word of mouth marketing will kick in and your bad product will be toast!  He focuses on the power and effectiveness of the word of mouth marketing, going as far as to say, “Traditional marketing is no longer the safe way to go.  It may make you more comfortable, but it is becoming gradually less and less effective for more and more companies.”  He also states that, “Real consumers, with real communications power, have added their voices to the mix.  And their voices are drowning out traditional media.  A single consumer voice, in the end, has far more impact than any ad could.”

As I thought about this message in conjunction with my current role as PTSA President and my upcoming role as Council PTA President,  I realized that PTA definitely has a product it is trying to sell– parent involvement, leadership development, membership, etc.  This book really pointed out the importance of creating a product worth talking about and then getting your ‘talkers’ talking.

I found myself thinking through the five T’s – Talkers (who will tell their friends about you?), Topic (what will they talk about?), Tools (how will you help the message travel?), Taking Part (how can you join the conversation?) and Tracking (what are people saying about you?) for each of the organizations I work with or volunteer with. 

Who are my talkers for PTA?  What have we done or what can we do that is worth talking about?  What can we do to help the message travel and how can we join the conversation in an appropriate way?  How can we track what is being said so that we can respond appropriately by thanking everyone for their feedback and making changes where changes are needed?

 Who are my talkers for YFP (the mentoring program I oversee)?  for America-Israel Friendship League? for Headstart? for Cache Inter-agency Council? for each of the other programs I care about?

This has been a very thought-provoking book and, in fact, was so compelling that I actually tracked down where I could order bulk so that each of the leaders I work with can have their own copy.

Of course, as a true believer in the network marketing industry and the incredible potential it offers people for financial security, I was also pleased with the unequivocal message Andy had on the effectiveness and power of word-of-mouth marketing.  While his intention was on helping traditional businesses stay current in their marketing practices and helping them to utilize word of mouth marketing along with their traditional marketing campaigns, his research and comments clearly support the wisdom of the network marketing model as not only a viable model, but as a significant force in today’s marketing practices. 

While I have known this all along, I hope that many other people will get over their mlm fears and realize the legitimacy and the power available to them through network marketing opportunities.  To do otherwise is equivalent to burying your head in the sand and pretend nothing has changed.  To do otherwise is to keep yourself from the abundance that is available to those who understand and master the power of word of mouth marketing in a way that will be a win/win/win for everyone involved.   There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.  Network marketing, the ultimate word of mouth marketing, is a business model whose time has come!  It is legitimate, it is effective, it holds unequalled potential.  The only remaining question is where you will stand in the word of mouth revolution.