In the good old days one of the best methods of selling was word of mouth.

Sure your company could do face to face sales in the form of door to door salesmen and you could also advertise on billboards, magazine and news paper classifieds ads. However, one of the most effective means of advertising was to provide excellent service and products and ask the customer to tell their friends and family about your company.

For example say someone bought a new cookware set, while showing it off to their friends they would mention where they got it (your company) and tell everyone what a pleasure it was doing business with you. In the technological age that we are now in email and instant messaging are replacing face to face and door to door conversations, text is replacing the phone call, banner ads are replacing the billboard and there are literally thousands of classified sites to post on instead of the two main city news papers.

Word of mouth advertising has remained the same effective and free way to advertise. Regardless of where they find out about your company the customer will still show off the cookware set and mention how they purchased it. If your company was smooth and easy to do business with they will let everyone know.

If your company was difficult and complicated to do business with they will let everyone know. This is where active listening really counts. If the customer feels that you as the sales person really cared about their wants and need they will feel comfortable leaving there loved ones in you hands.

By building trust you will have not only secured a repeat customer but also gained new customers. It may seem awkward to ask your existing customers for referrals; however this little step may increase your sale dramatically. Get over this discomfort. You are not going to be bugging the new prospective customers; you are showing them an opportunity that they might not otherwise be aware of.

One way you can do this is after a purchase is made send a thank you email or phone call. Thank the customer for their purchase. Let them know that if they have any questions you will be there for them and then ask them to please pass your information along to their friends and family.

This is where you may also ask for the email address of anyone they think may be interested in your product. The follow up email will show that you care about them as an individual and they are not just “another purchase.”

When sending the email to the friends that the existing customer provided be sure to tell them who referred them to you. Also add a little bit of personal information about the existing customer. For example, if the existing customer has children mention how “Sara will love the durability of your product especially with their three active children.”

This will show that you are not just an automated system shooting out names. This will also show the potential customer that you care enough to listen and remember. The customer will feel much more comfortable with you as a caring friend instead of just another salesperson.