The Best Kind of Marketing

The type of marketing every business or organization desires the most is

Word of Mouth Marketing.

You typically see restaurants succeed (or suffer), thanks to word of mouth marketing or referrals. Some of the most successful eating establishments do little, if any, traditional advertising, thanks to their strong brand reputation.

I recently stopped to pick up lunch at a local Chick-fil-A restaurant. The drive-through line was two-cars wide and long, even though I was taking a lunch break in the late afternoon. This isn’t unusual for Chick-fil-A. Their loyal customers, including me, are willing to wait a little longer for one of their delicious chicken sandwiches.

Their friendly customer service makes the wait less painful. Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A, Inc. once said, “Our restaurant team members are great ambassadors for the brand. They love to be out there with our customers, in the dining room, at the drive-thru, delivering food, or serving at events. Operators do a great job of choosing the employees who work with them.”

Indeed, I’ve yet to have a negative customer service experience while ordering food from Chick-fil-A. “We like to say we recruit smiles,” said S. Truett Cathy, developer of the chicken sandwich and founder of Chick-Fil-A, in his autobiography, “How Did You Do It, Truett?”

“We can’t teach a sour person to be joyful,” wrote Cathy. “Smiles are there because the heart is behind the smile. What we can do is suggest actions that put smiles on the faces of others. Nothing brings a smile quicker than service that goes beyond the expected.”

New customers typically try a new product or service because of the brand’s positive reputation or recommendations from others. This is of course a win for the corporate marketing department. Is this type of marketing with courtesy possible for most businesses? Unfortunately, no. I’ve had my fair share of not-so-positive service experiences at businesses with indifferent or rude employees. This is a drain on the company bottom line and wastes precious marketing dollars.

When building a successful business, everything screams for attention: product, tech, design, distribution, marketing, sales, sometimes manufacturing, etc. Why prioritize customer service? In short, happy customers lead to more money, growth, and sustainability.

Customer service is one of the most under-valued assets in business, yet most important. If you can prove its worth, and get your team on board to harness its power, its success can impact every level of your organization.