April 12, 2016 / in Business Recommendations / by Jason Terry
Post author: Jason Terry
Did you know my fellow Blue Guru, Mic Johnson, is a serious foodie? If you’re friends with him on Facebook, he routinely posts pictures of all types of food, restaurants, etc. Mic has introduced me to so many great restaurants in Kansas City, but my two favorites are sushi places.
The first is Sakura on 75th and Nieman. Most people call it the “sushi train” because they have an oval train track that runs for lunch and dinner. It carries blue and green plates (the different colors represent different prices per plate) of all kinds of sushi past your hungry eyes. Take what you want, enjoy the sushi, and stack your plates!
The second, and more recent, is Bob Wasabi Kitchen on 39th street near KU Med. It’s definitely one of my new favorite places to go for great sushi and some of the freshest fish in the city. It costs a bit more, but the quality is worth it. Mic and I had lunch there together recently to celebrate our newest client.
This leads me to the point of this blog post…
Mic is a raving and loyal fan of these restaurants. He’s told everyone he knows about them. We’ve taken dozens of people there for lunch and dinner, personally and professionally. There’s no question in my mind that Mic is ultimately responsible for many tens of thousands of dollars of business for Sakura…and he’s just getting started with Bob Wasabi Kitchen.
And this translates to the business community as well. Mic does the same thing for the people and businesses that he trusts and believes in. He goes out of his way to make strong referrals with the goal of helping everyone involved. Mic is the definition of what it means to be, as he calls it, a “Brand Advocate.”
You Have to Earn Word of Mouth Referrals Every Single Day. Share on X
Here’s what’s really amazing: no one pays Mic to be a brand advocate. Restaurants earn (and keep) his loyalty by providing great food and excellent customer service. The plumber he refers all the time has done many jobs for Mic and his friends for a reasonable price. And now I use him too.
Every week Mic shares emails with me where he’s connecting people he knows because there’s a great opportunity for them to do business together, help one another, learn something new, etc.
The most important thing of all is that these people, restaurants and companies are able to keep Mic’s loyalty by continuing to provide great food, products and services. And the smartest ones thank him for it, which makes Mic want to help them even more (if that’s even possible).
All of this means more business and exposure for those he advocates for…and the opportunity for more life experiences for those who know him and benefit from his referrals.
You can’t buy word-of-mouth advertising, but you can definitely make it happen by consistently doing great work, helping people and being thankful.
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Jason gets his clients and understands how they think - and they love him!
I've had the privilege to work with Jason Terry of Blue Gurus on numerous projects, giving me the opportunity to watch him work masterfully with his clients. As an expert on blogging, LinkedIn training, business storytelling and website construction, he stands alone as the premiere resource.
Jason gets his clients and understands how they think - and they love him! He makes it easy to work with him, going over into the technical arena and bringing back information to his clients in a simple and direct way they can understand -- and somehow makes it fun while doing it. I recommend Jason (and often do!) to anyone who wants to increase or improve their online presence through market-proven content and strategy.
Jeff Potts
Owner of 20/20 Creative, Inc.
Jason – great post. What’s really cool (and important about this) is that this approach is absolutely the best kind of marketing plan a company can have. When you do a great job, do something notable, make someone like Mic feel great – they will talk about it and that’s what drives opportunities.