The Old Tactics are still the Best

by Dr Greg Chapman

It seems small business are not the only ones relying on Word-of-Mouth. In a recent article by Steve Creedy of the Australian, Ozjet is seeing if it will help rescue its business:

Upmarket start-up Ozjet is stepping up marketing efforts to lure customers as it heads in to the make-or-break resumption of business traffic in February.In a bid to boost passenger numbers the carrier is to announce today a two-for-one deal giving passengers who book on its flights either a free return ticket or a companion fare. After more than a month of operations, Ozjet is still struggling to fill planes and has flown with as few three passengers.

The limited offer is an attempt to get people to try the product ahead of the full return of business traffic after Australia Day on January 26. The airline has also raised to 10 per cent the commission it pays travel agents as an incentive to promote the airline at a time when most competitors are slashing commissions. "It's about bringing people on board and showing them the product," Ozjet chief executive Hans van Pelt said. "You can put billboards up, you can do the advertising, you can do whatever you want to. What's working best and generating the best word-of-mouth is people experiencing it."

It appears there are still some tricks that larger businesses can learn from the small guys and girls.

Dr Greg Chapman is the director of Empower Business Solutions