#NoBullshitCX
Last week I talked about knowing who your promoters are and what triggers them to actually talk about you. The same lesson came up again when we worked with a major Japanese car brand – but with a whole new twist.
We found three distinct types of promoters, each with very different motives for recommending a brand. We nicknamed them the Guru, the Bulldog, and the High Priest.
The Gurus were car experts. They knew EVERYTHING about cars. They asked you a million questions and then recommended the car that would be a 100% fit. The Guru’s driver was respect they received for their knowledge. No amount of incentives would make them change their opinions or recommend something they did not believe in. But give them interesting information or even let them on some of your secrets, and they would talk.
The Bulldogs were made of pure loyalty. They loved the brand with all its quirks and twists. They would recommend the car even to the king if they met him. Bulldogs worked harder than some sales reps. Invite a Bulldog to a new model launch, and they would drag in their friends by the proverbial trouser legs like the dog they were named after.
And the High Priest was just… different. Their real love was themselves. Your brand was just a tool for them to build their personal influence. And that was fine: if you gave them the right stage, the High Priests would sing you praise forever. Let them record podcasts at your trade show booth, feature them in your customer stories, make them feel important – and they will advocate for you far and wide.
None of these promoters were motivated by cash rewards, loyalty points, or discounts. If anything, offering those would insult them. Their motives were status, knowledge, pride –not transactional perks. You see, being a promoter is deeply personal. We recommend because we connect to something on an almost intimate level. You really need to understand what drives people to recommend in order to foster those relationships.
