Successful small business marketers need to develop a keen understanding of the 80/20 rule. Our profit margins and our budgets are both so small we simply must focus on the right kind of customers.

And the right kind of prospects.

But, little is written about focusing on the right kind of referrers.

A Maven is a kind of consumer super-helper. In The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell describes this group of individuals who make it their pastime to discover where to get the best deal in town. Mavens dont sell this information; they simply accumulate it and then pass it on freely to others. If you reflect a bit, you can probably think of somebody in your personal or business life thats just like this.

If a maven perceives your company to be of benefit to her friends, then you have access to a referral source thats second to none. But, this is an indirect access. Unfortunately, you cant just go look these people up in the yellow pages under Maven. Your company will have to implement other methods to aid these helpers in better understanding how your company can provide value to their friends.

Frontline customer service or sales staff will most likely be the employees that interact with a maven. Signs the person they are dealing with is a maven might include:

• Person asking many detailed questions
• Person not just reading the fine print on a brochure but marking it up with questions of their own
• Person asking very technical questions

Lets face it: the average employee will likely see the maven as just a pain in the rear. Here is where its vital that your company pays attention to the People element of marketing success--in this case, your customer service training. Mavens are looking for value, right? That means they want a good deal, and all of you that are successful business owners know that competitive pricing is only one component of a good deal. Helpfulness at the point of sale can be incredibly valuable to a customer.

Instruct your employees to steer the maven to you or a senior salesperson immediately. If more experienced employees arent available, teach that frontline employee to write down the mavens phone number and ask her permission to let you phone her later. This may sound extreme, but these opportunities dont walk through our door every day. Heres a chance to out-do your competition and be seen as a company that really takes care of legitimate inquiries.

But, tread lightly. Dont be seen as a pushy salesperson. Better to answer questions honestly and find out just what benefit she is searching for. Remember, mavens seek value. Find the appropriate niche where your company really can supply a maven and her friends with value and youll have a referral source that is highly profitable.

Mavens seem to be especially good at sniffing out the essence of a companys Brand, that essential who-ness of a small business. They are less likely to be fooled by a clever ads or promotions that support lackluster value. Make sure your Package complements your Brand, to reinforce your companys name inside the mind of these golden referrals.

2006 Marketing Hawks