No matter how clever the advertising campaign, or aggressive the marketing efforts, most people are happiest buying products or services that have been recommended by someone they know and trust. The aim of this guide is to help owners and managers of small to medium-sized businesses harness and direct the powerful force of word-of-mouth. It introduces a marketing tool called the Talk Factor - a systematic proactive program that uses satisfied customers to sell for you. It includes how to limit the damage of negative word-of-mouth; how to launch a new product or service; and how to mount a word-of-mouth marketing blitz.