Before you can get people talking about your business and giving you testimonials, you need to give them something to talk about.  You need a top notch product or service and the customer service after the sale to keep people talking.  This is service before a prospect becomes a customer, too.

I was talking with a friend recently whose sister just got engaged.  She drove out to Philly over the weekend to help her sister look for a wedding dress.  They went to the boutique shops first because of the perception that they’d get more personalized attention and a quality product.  They left very disappointed.  The employees they interacted with were rude, unaccommodating, and almost talked my friend’s sister into a hideous dress. 

Yes, they said they had a limited budget but you never really know that for sure.  I can’t even tell you how many huge sales I’ve closed in the past to people that told me they had a small budget who became wonderful customers that referred other people to me.

How many sales have you lost just because you weren’t nice?  Maybe more than you realize.  Most brides won't come back and tell you they bought somewhere else; you're just left wondering why you didn't get the sale.

Know where she bought her dress?  David’s Bridal (as most of you cringe…). 

It kills me every time I interact with someone in the bridal industry who doesn’t realize they’re in sales, all the time.  If you own a business, you’re always in sales.  You’re always selling.  There are always opportunities. 

You never know who will come into your store or who you’ll meet in line at the grocery store.  It’s a small world and “nice” can pay big dividends.