As a small business coach, I dream of the day when I no longer will have to lift even my pinky finger to market myself because my clients and customers will be doing it for me. Here are some brilliant ways to tap into your best kept sales and marketing weapons–your current fans, according to Bill Lee, author of The Hidden Wealth of Customers.

1. Create an excellent product or service that customers truly appreciate.
If you skip this step, the rest of the steps won’t work.
2. Select one or more potential rock star customers.
Look for loyal customers who have a good story to tell about how your product or service helped them, and who are eager to tell it.
3. Turn your customers into stars by giving them what they want.
(Have) them write guest posts for your blog or creating case studies with them. Not only will that highlight the benefits of your product or service, but it also highlights your customer as an expert voice.
4. Whatever you do, don’t give them financial incentives.
It’s likely to backfire, leaving both customers and prospects feeling uneasy about what seem like bribes.
via Turn Customers Into Your Best Salespeople: 4 Tips.

If you think marketing and selling are hard or unpleasant, just look around you and see a sea of fans who are already working with you and who might turn out to be your best marketing strategy to get more clients.
Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

Related articles

• Business Book Says Salespeople Stopped Learning Selling Habits In Second Grade (prweb.com)
• The Number One Mistake People Make When It Comes To Referral Marketing (ducttapemarketing.com)
• 5 steps on how to increase your referral marketing effectively on social media (e27.sg)
• How To Build a Business People Want To Refer (ducttapemarketing.com)