Word of mouth isn't bringing in enough customers anymore. What do I do next?
Figure out who your best customers are and why they picked you, then go find more people like them on purpose. Word of mouth works because happy customers describe you better than you describe yourself. The next step is learning their words, putting them where your next customers already look, and making the first step easy.
Why does word of mouth stop being enough?
It usually keeps working, but it hits a ceiling. Referrals depend on how many happy customers you have and how often they talk about you, so growth moves at their pace. It's also lumpy, a great month and then a quiet one, and you can't turn it up when you need to.
How do I figure out who my best customers are?
Look at the last 20 or 30 people who bought from you and stuck around. What do they have in common? Where are they from, what were they trying to fix, how did they find you, and what almost stopped them?
Then call a few and ask why they picked you. Write down what they say word for word, and use their words in your ads and on your website.
Where should I advertise?
Where those people already spend their time, and not until you know who they are. A gym that draws college students and a gym that draws parents in their forties need different channels, different offers and different times of year.
Pick one or two places, run them long enough to measure, and keep what works.
What should my first offer be?
Something small and easy to say yes to. At my gym, the front door is a free class. Then follow up fast, because interest fades quickly.
If you run a gym or studio, there's more on how I help gyms and studios.
Can I keep referrals coming on purpose?
Yes. Ask when someone's happiest, make it easy to pass along, and thank the people who send someone your way. At my gym we built our own referral and guest pass tools because the off-the-shelf software couldn't do what we wanted. A simple program you actually track beats hoping people remember.
Doesn't the best business win in the end?
Not always. The product most people know about usually beats the best one. That's why it's worth being intentional about how you show up, even when your work is great.
Talk it through with me.
Bring the problem, even if it's still fuzzy. We'll talk about what's going on, what might be behind it, and whether I'm the right person to help. If I'm not, I'll tell you.