The basics for conveying a viral Idea from the book, Small is the New Big, by Seth Godin.

1. 1) The first impression (of the idea) demands further investigation.
2. 2) They (the audience) already understand the foundation ideas necessary to get the new idea.
3. 3) They (the audience) trust or respect the sender must invest the time

For a more detailed analysis of conveying viral ideas, I recommend the book, Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip and Dan Heath.

madetostick.com

“The goal is to teach, cajole, and encourage this stranger to become a friend.  And once she becomes a friend, to apply enough focused marketing to create a customer.”

-Seth Godin, Permission Marketing, pg 63

Excerpt from Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing.   Short checklist from Peppers and Rogers on what businesses should focus on when selling to customers.

• Increase your “share of wallet”.  Figure out what needs you can satisfy, then use the knowledge you have, and the trust you have built with the customer, to make the additional sale.
• Increase the durability of the relationship.  invest money in customer retention because it is a small fraction of the cost of customer acquistion.
• Increase your product offerings to customers by being customer-focused, not retail-focused or factory-focused.  Offer products based on what the customer wants not on how you define your business.
• Create an interactive relationship that leads to meeting more customer needs.  By constantly encouraging the customer to give more information, the marketer can offer more products.