[charlottesmum04]

I seem to have a knack for the kind of reccomendation/word of mouth advertising/sales. Today alone while in target i managed to convince 3 different groups to buy over $1500 worth of prams/capsules. (They were all standing around trying to figure out the pram/capsule combo i have) Before i went there i noticed a friends restaurant was having a special deal for dinner that night so i had started spreading the word around.

We later decided to have dinner there ourselves. When i went to pay I commented on how good it was to see the place full and that I was glad the special had worked out for her. She commented how she knew it was mostly down to what i had done and that when she had left for their morning catering job there was just 2 people booked in and when she came back there was 60 booked in. I am pretty sure we got a discount on our meal in fact i'm positive we did ( not that i asked or demanded) she just said $x and i paid then walked out and realised it was cheaper than i expected but she did read out all our meals/drinks so i know nothing was missed.

I would have spread the word about it regardless because these are lovely people running a really nice family restaurant. But it made me think if there is something i am missing here. It just seems to be something i am really good at ( spreading the word about stuff) and that I am one of those people who 'know' lots of people without being really good friends with everyone and manage to talk without sounding like a sales speil. There has to be some way i can make a living doing something similar and make money from something I am naturally good at.

Any suggestions?

This post has been edited by charlottesmum04: 20/01/2013, 04:19 AM

[808state]

The first occupation that came to mind - Functions Coordinator. Sales based, people orientated ect.

You sounds like you've got a knack for making people feel comfortable and gaining their trust by knowing what they would like or be interested in. Also that you have a keen eye for quality service.

This is something I used to do in a previous life, after falling in to it by doing something similar to what you do. My favoruite part of the job was the first appointment with prospective clients - getting to know them and working out exactly what they're looking for, and then going about delivering a service above and beyond their expectations. Especially an important event such as 21st, or small wedding. Being there on the night to ensure everything is absolutely perfect and running smoothly - and seeing the guests having a wonderful time.

Even now when out and about, I seem to assess venues, menus, service and facilities almost automatically, and recommend accordingly ...can't help it!

[Leafprincess]

OP what you are doing is called "viral marketing" in the advertising industry.

It was quite big as a marketing strategy in the early 2000s

Basically they would pay influential ordinary people like hairdressers to just randomly insert the product or service into the conversation. For it to best workout needed to be an unrelated product or service. So there you are at the hairdresser chatting away and she said " yeah, I tried it that new restaurant I down the road it was awesome blah blah blah." Or "have you seen this new device that plays music, it's called an iPod, it's awesome because blah blah blah"

Viral marketing is based upon the principles of influence that involve trust (you must look trustworthy), and the law of diffusion of innovation which is basically when you get 2/10 people doing or buying something the other 7 will follow (rough figures but stats and experiments have been done- you can read into more in the book called "closing the chasm"

Now back to your original question how can you earn money from it? I would say start a website with a blog and a "ask charlottesmum" section. Where people can ask you questions am duos get back to them. You could approach the companies you recommend to advertising on your site.

Alternatively you could do a small local based business advertising your services as a "baby gear shopper" where you accompany parents to go shopping for baby stuff and give your recommendations. You can earn a commission off the places you take them. This is how tour guides make money.

Third option I can think of is to be a personal shopper for the people. They give you the things they are looking for, you do the research and buy it for them. You chare them a fee, kind of like what that show on arena called "pregnant in heels" it's a concierge service for pregnant women. I think it would only work in a major city where people are time poor.

So there you go charlottesmum, hope you found the response useful and given you lots to think about.

Edited because I was breast feeding and typing a the same time

This post has been edited by Leafprincess: 20/01/2013, 07:44 AM

[charlottesmum04]

thank you for at least making some suggestions and understanding what i am trying to say. For me i just like talking to people and i have a thing about good customer service. Where i live its a closed environment with often only one of each kind of store. Alot of people seem to take that as they can provide crappy customer service, so when i see good service i a) call them on it which usually means meeting the owners which then leads to me wanting to help build their business and then b) When you find somewhere good you want them to stay and to spread the word so other people can get the same service.