…me.

Or, you.

Or whomever the buyer is.

You buy lots of stuff and in those situations you are the marketing expert. The one handing over the money is the one who is deciding what ‘marketing’ was effective.

Anyone else’s opinion is just that, an opinion.

Non-buyers such as visitors, lookie-looks, tyre-kickers, friends, family, even consultants and marketing “gurus” will all have an opinion, but beware of thinking they are the real expert.

Are you a buyer from your own business?

For most of us the answer will be, “No.”

Even if you use the service or products, you are probably doing so at least at a wholesale price, if not for free.

For example I’m not a customer for my own marketing e-book on word of mouth referrals. Even when I go and re-read it I’m not handing over money for it, so my opinion of how to market it is dangerous!

That’s why you need to listen, get feedback and test.

Let the customers decide for themselves what sells them.

As an example, the recently updated website for the “Word of Mouth Magic” ebook has software installed that is testing every single word, color and image on the page, and it has come up with variations that I wouldn’t personally have kept if I’d had the final say.

You may even find you get one that is totally bizarre, but if the “experts” have decided that that one was the marketing winner, I’m going to go with it.

-Martin Russell

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