Setting Your Evangelists on Track

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In a post at the Church of the Customer Blog, Jackie Huba asks a question you've probably faced at some time: How do you handle a customer evangelist who is misrepresenting your company? Even though the offender's facts may be correct, his or her stance could be off mark. It can be a tricky situation.

On one hand, you've put a lot of thought into positioning your products or services in a certain way; on the other, attempting to micromanage the word of mouth is likely to backfire. So how do you react? According to Huba, you have four basic options:

1. Make a public correction. Leave a comment at the customer evangelist's blog, for instance, that thanks them for the attention and gently clarifies your company's message.

2. Make a private correction. Include the same content in an email that leaves the person free to follow up as they see fit.

3. Acknowledge the mention without a correction. Express gratitude privately or publicly, and leave it at that.

4. Do nothing.

Huba recommends the third route, and offers a tip for keeping future evangelism on target: Invite the person to join a special program that gives "inner circle" access to your latest news and updates.

The Po!nt: "If the customer's information is technically correct but incomplete, or uses her own words and not yours, get over it," she writes. "A word-smithing scold is old."

http://www.marketingprofs.com/small-...=265&cd=dmo121