The Passion Conversation: Understanding, Sparking, and Sustaining Word of Mouth Marketing

CHAPTER ONE

EVERY MARKETING PROBLEM IS A PEOPLE PROBLEM

Before we dig into understanding why word of mouth (WOM) matters, we want you to change your mind about the business you're in. Odds are you think you're in the marketing business. We're going to help you unlearn your marketing mindset and convince you that it's way more exciting and fun to be in the people business.

DITCH YOUR TITLE

First of all, shake the cobwebs from your brain and give yourself a new title.

Think: Chief People Officer. Chief Inspiration Officer. Chief Love Officer. Senior Manager of People Problems. Passion Conversation Facilitator. Come on. You can give back that Senior VP of Marketing title or that Brand Manager title as quickly as you received it. Or how about letting go of that social-media-something title? You don’t need it. And if you are a CEO or a business owner and you hire marketers, make sure you are looking for people who love people. If you're in marketing, you're in the people business—and if you don't believe that core tenet, then stop reading. Now.

FORGET MARKETING PROBLEMS

Companies face all sorts of marketing problems. If they would reframe those issues as people problems, their perspective would change.

Reevaluating your role in solving these people problems makes it even more interesting. Consider the following people problems that leaders face:

• A company is suffering from sluggish ...