You Need These Answers

But are you asking the questions?

I read this last week from Pat McGraw, (it came in my email and I also follow Pat on Twitter) and was a bit envious that he wrote it.

Not really, because he saved me the work!

And that is the whole purpose of this website, Collective Wisdom:

It's a collection of wisdom from others on the subject of Sales, Marketing, Advertising and Media, updated 3 times a day, 7 days a week.

Here's Pat:

5 Steps to Improving your Customer’s Experience

Posted: 23 May 2011 01:00 PM PDT

Knowledge is power – and the best way to educate yourself is to make the time and have a clear plan of action. When you want honest insight into your organization’s strengths and weaknesses, ask potential, current and former customers. And then do a little ‘shopping’ yourself.

Here are some questions to get you started…

Interview a former customers.

• Who did you buy from prior to buying from us?
• What motivated you to buy from us for the first time?
• Were we your primary, secondary or tertiary source?
• Why?
• What did we do well?
• What could we have done better?
• What didn’t we do that you wish we had done?
• Why did you take your business elsewhere?
• Is your new supplier meeting or exceeding your expectations?
• Is there anything we could do to win-back your business?

Interview a current customer that has been buying from you for more than 12 months.

• Do you consider us your primary, secondary or tertiary source for the products/services you buy?
• How did you become aware of us?
• What motivated you to buy from us the first time?
• How have your needs changed since you first began doing business with us?
• Do we consistently meet or exceed your expectations?
• What do we do well?
• What do we need to improve?
• What do we need to do that we currently don’t do at all?
• Who do you see as our competitors?
• Why?
• Would you recommend others to buy from us?
• Why/Why not?

Interview a new customer that made their first purchase from you within the past 30-60 days.

• How did you become aware of us?
• Before buying from us, who did you turn to in order to fill your needs?
• What motivated you to look for a new supplier?
• What is our unique value to you?
• What do we do well?
• What do we need to improve?
• What don’t we do at all but need to offer?
• Who do you view as our competitors?
• When compared with us, what do you see as their strengths and weaknesses?
• What do we need to do in order to strengthen our relationship so we become your primary source?

Interview a prospective customer.

• Who have you been buying from?
• What do you feel they do well?
• What do you feel they could improve?
• What do you wish they did?
• Why are you considering us as a supplier?
• What is your perception of our business and products?
• What are your expectations?
• To date, have we met or exceeded your expectations?
• Ask for specifics.
• What could I do right now to motivate you to buy from us?

Be your own customer. Call and see how your team handles your inquiry. How long does it take to get literature and product information? Does that information answer your questions – or is it missing the mark and need to be modified? Call the wrong department and see if they can quickly get you to the right person to answer your questions. Buy something and see how long it takes to arrive – then try to return it.

Do these things a couple days a week and you will learn how to improve your customers’ experience – and your business will see higher conversion rates, retention rates, order size, order frequency and referrals.

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