Zombie Loyalists

Marketing and PR expert Peter Shankman has been working with the biggest companies in the world to create what he calls "Zombie Loyalists," fervent fans that help companies massively increase their customer base, brand awareness, and most importantly, revenue. Imagine an army of customers who will do your public relations, marketing and advertising, without being asked, each and every time they give you their money!

These are Zombie Loyalists. They are ready to buy what you sell, respond to your email offers and demand that their friends to do the same. Looking at exceptional companies like the Ritz Carlton, Commerce Bank, and Starwood Hotels, as well as smaller businesses to turn their customers into Zombie Loyalists, he shows how you can create your own customer army.

Find out more here.

Listen to an interview with Peter about the book here.

Some favorite quotes

"It really comes to that point where you have to appreciate your employees. You really do. You have to appreciate your employees, who they are and what they do. If you can do that, then it's much easier to create zombie loyalists out of your customers because your employees are already happy and they want to do great things, they want to help."

"A lot of the reason is that 88% of CEOs think they're doing great in the customer service realm. Unfortunately, only 8% of their customers think so. That's a problem, that's a pretty big disconnect there. You really have to figure out a way to make it more beneficial for your entire management team and your entire company to really know how the company is doing."

"The number one way is really you have to hire for people Ritz Carlton does this really well, they hire for people. They don't hire because you know how to fold a bed sheet they can teach you how to do that. They hire because you're an empathetic person who understands that it is about the person."

"The key is they have to understand that everything that happens, for good or for bad, is going to be posted online. The internet runs on two things; bragging and drama. Upgrades are bragging. No car is drama. The goal is to understand the ratio of bragging to drama when you come in and hope that it has shifted. More bragging and less drama is what you want by the time you leave."

Peter's last book was Nice Companies Finish First. Also worth a read.