"No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the public." H.L.Mencken Few promotional tools can outdo positive word of mouth advertising. And while "bad" word of mouth, "rumors and gossip" can damage your business; voluntary testimony-giving you bragging rights- can do wonders for you. The problem is you can’t buy it, you can’t control it and you have no say in its’ content. Word of mouth "ads" or comments are responsible for the success or demise of many restaurants, beauty parlors, dry cleaners, garages, and specialty shops. Your reputation can blossom from chance remarks of happy customers or wilt when your customers grumble. Just like individuals, reputations are slow in building but quick to fade. What your customers say about you is important to your success. When you have an unhappy dinning experience, do you tell your waiter? Or, do you quietly resolve to never return? Do you know what your customers are saying about your business? They may not tell you if unhappy or dissatisfied, but they will tell their friends who will tell their friends, and so on, until half the world knows not do business with you. The other day, a retired friend went on for fifteen minutes bashing his local car dealer. It seems that he took his almost new car in for a check up-and when picking it up, he found a half dozen grease marks on his carpeting, the radio blasting away tuned to a rock station, and a deep scratch on the right front fender. He complained to the service manager who denied that his mechanics caused the grease stains or paint damage. Angry, he vowed never to return. The next day he wasted no time spouting his opinion of the dealership to his foursome at the country club. After years of treating service customers as second class citizens, enlightened carmakers now follow up customer visits with phone calls or mail surveys questioning how well the dealer did his or her job. These companies understand the power and the lightening speed of word of mouth comments-good and bad. And they know bad travels faster! Not only can negative remarks hurt your business, so can outlandish and ill thought out media ads. We have all seen offense advertising in its’ attempt to be clever waste money creating ill will and losing customers. A bad ad is like bad breath, no one tells you about it. Entrepreneurs with technical or financial backgrounds may have a tough time with the details of promotion and advertising. Often they rely on a space or time salesperson-who may lack an understanding of your business- to create a promotion package. Too often, the ads are just an amalgamation of trite overused phases and claims such as: " Unsurpassed quality." " You have dealt with the rest now deal with the best." "Lowest prices ever!" – and so on. Trite and boring is the only way to describe ad lingo that is about as original, imaginative and interesting as the text of an insurance policy. Before you spend dollar one on promoting your business, realize that your customers are not idiots, they ignore poor ads and they dislike insulting sales pitches. Ads that are trite and say little are a waste of your money. Are your ads interesting? Do they offer reasons for customers to shop with you? Or, are you trying to be clever with wild claims or screams? If you decide to plow some of your bucks into advertising and promotion, remember that you spend it on advertising to convince people to do business with you- nothing more. It is not a public service message, it is not to entertain anyone, and it is not be make you into a celebrity. Wait until you have built your empire before you insist on throwing dollars away hoping to have the public recognition of a Tom Cruise or Britney Spears. Just as you would not blindly buy a computer system without researching your needs, don’t toss away ad dollars hoping for the best. Advertising that works requires research. Here are some basics to think about: Ads that promise too much-will create disappointed customers. Ads that lie- false claims may invite legal action. Ads that insult the intelligence of the reader, listener, or viewer, turn people off. Ads that get carried away with entertaining not selling-people will remember the ad not the product Ads that have no purpose or theme-are confusing and of little benefit. Ads that target the wrong market- your money would be better spent with your local charity. Ads that miss the market- your customers will miss you. Copyright 1999-2002 Paul E Adams Dr. Paul E. Adams is a retired entrepreneur, Professor Emeritus Ramapo College of New Jersey and the author of Fail Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful.