How-To: Selling Word of Mouth Internally
5 Tips from DuPont's Gary Spangler
"Because word of mouth is a new concept, people need to see it work in a small, controlled way," says Gary Spangler, eBusiness Manager for DuPont. "You're not going to get a big budget until you can demonstrate results." Here, Gary shares his five tips to sell WOM internally.
Tip #1. Declare and promote yourself the WOM expert
At large companies, in particular, nobody yet thinks of word of mouth as a practice. If you declare yourself the expert, nobody will challenge you.
Tip #2. Mine online conversations for insight and direction
Follow conversations online to track what people are saying about your products, your company, your brand, and your competition.
Tip #3. Pilot ideas online first
Start small and smart. Pilot a campaign online so that people can see it work in a small, targeted way. Then you can increase the scope and commercialize your success with a bigger budget.
Tip #4: Sell to individuals first, then a steering group
Never introduce a new concept to a big group. Before trying to sell your concept to a committee as a whole, sell it to individuals in private first. You can then adjust your approach as needed, and each person's concern won't poison a whole group.
Next, identify managers who make sense to be on a steering team and create one. Schedule regular meetings. Have them monitor and review the progress of the work. Act as though the committee exists and begin treating the members as such. They're not going to say no.
Tip #5. Enlist the experts (but don't lose control)
Once word of mouth campaigns are an accepted part of your job, you can bring in practitioners. Beware of taking an expert's experience and assuming it all applies to your company. The champion within the company (you) needs to adjust what the practitioner proposes to make business sense for the company. If you give up the sense of expertise to the practitioner, you run the risk of being eliminated as the expert within the company.
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