Much of the discussion coming out of the Net Promoter® community focuses on what to do with Detractors after they’ve been identified among your customer base. Intuitively, this makes sense – Detractors (the Net Promoter term for customers that answer 0 to 6 on the “Likely to recommend” question) are much more likely to defect and spread negative word-of-mouth.
Equally important, however, is getting the most out of your Promoters, or those that are most complimentary of the work you do (in Net Promoter terms, this means customers that answer 9 or 10 in response to the “Likely to recommend” question). After all, this loyal group of customers contributes to long-term sustainable success.
Consider the following points when thinking of ways to mobilize your Promoters:
Thank Your Promoters
Do reach out to your Promoters by writing a thank-you letter or giving them a call.
It’s pretty simple: express appreciation for the feedback they provided. A polite “thank you” goes a long way toward reinforcing the perception that their feedback is paid attention to and acted upon. Plus, it increases the chances they will respond to future surveys.
Ask Satisfied Customers to Share Positive Feedback
Don’t pass up the opportunity to ask them to interview or provide quotes for articles, or industry publications.
Promoters are usually more than willing to provide a quote or an entire interview, but they may need some prompting before doing so. Bonus for them – this provides a chance to get their own name and organization out to the readers of those publications.
Add Promoters to Your Reference List
Do consider asking them to speak with your customers and prospects about ways to leverage your products and services.
Your Promoters know about the great things you can provide and the best ways to make use of your products and services – let them serve as a knowledge resource for others that are also working with you or are considering working with you.
Have Happy Customers Nominate You
Don’t shy away from asking them to submit your company for an award.
Although this may be a hard one to ask for, you may be surprised by how quickly your Promoters say yes! People like to reward each other for a job well done; what better way than to make sure their peers know how good of a job you do?
Invite Promoters to Internal Events
Do invite them to share their experiences with your employees, possibly via lunch-and-learns.
These sessions can be very encouraging both to the frontline team and to leadership. Everyone in your organization may have a solid understanding of the positive impacts you have on your customers, but seeing a customer expand on these and discuss those impacts in person lends a bit more power that can be quite motivational.
Give Promoters a Pen
Don’t feel that you always have to be the one writing about yourself – invite Promoters to write a guest blog post for an industry website or even your own website.
Like the point above about asking for a quote or an interview, you will find that many of your most loyal customers would be open to writing a post extolling their experiences with your organization. For added effect, be sure they focus on the financial rewards of working with you.
Adopt a Referral Program
Do initiate a formal referral program.
A traditional referral program can be effective at catalyzing action. Help motivate Promoters to get the word out with incentives such as gift cards, cash, or discounts.
Tap into Social Media
Don’t hesitate to ask them to tweet or post a recommendation on a social network.
As all marketers know, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social networks can be effective means of spreading positive sentiment about your brand. Encourage Promoters to take advantage of these avenues of communication to bolster your position in the marketplace and extend your brand awareness.
Share Success Stories with Prospects
Do find out if they’d be willing to participate in a webinar.
Webinars can be a lot of work, but they can also be very effective when wooing prospects. Too often, companies hold webinars and simply talk about the things they’ve done for their customers and provide a few random quotes. Think about how much more powerful it would be to have customers speak for themselves. Unlike other media, webinars also give an opportunity for the audience to ask follow-up questions of your customers.
Effectively mobilizing Promoters is an important part of any Net Promoter program. Although addressing the concerns of Detractors may take first priority, the power of a customer-centric culture truly becomes apparent when your most loyal advocates are helping to expand your business opportunities.
