Before you market your company, you have to understand your customers. Problem is, most firms never hear important feedback because they don't ask for it. McConnell's and Huba's research finds that companies with strong referral sales focus on detailed feedback to drive their marketing strategies, product development and service expectations. They say printing companies can create a culture of referrals by using these tips:
1. Believe that customers possess good ideas. How often does someone in your organization respond to an innovative idea by saying, "Our customers don't want that." The naysayer is operating from a level of omniscience and is in the wrong field of work. Other killjoys argue that customers are incapable of knowing what really makes a product or service valuable, and therefore customer input is unnecessary. Asking customers to participate in your problem-solving and idea-generation is courageous.
2. Gather customer feedback at every opportunity. Every customer interaction is an opportunity for feedback. Avoid the trap of "we don't want to bother our customers." If customers are busy, they'll politely decline.
3. Don't spend a fortune on surveys. Multiple-page customer surveys that take months to organize and cost the equivalent of two salaries may seem impressive, but they're often outdated by the time feedback data arrives. Short, fast surveys generate better response rates and allow businesses to react quickly to important issues. Solve one or two problems at a time, not everything at once.
4. Focus on continual improvement. Enlist the aid of your highly affiliated, most passionate customers to help you improve an aspect of your business every week, so your planning and marketing strategies build momentum. Word spreads quickly when a company's quality improves, especially if you thank specific customers for their assistance.
5. Solicit positive and negative feedback. The first part is easy. The second is usually the source of fear. Finesse tense situations by asking, "What's the one thing you would change or improve about your experience with us or our product?"
6. Seek real-time responses. Kimpton Boutique Hotels CEO Tom LaTour says he has three duties every day:
1) review revenue targets, 2) manage people and 3) call
8-10 customers. Because he calls customers daily, he's not the last person to hear about problems. Instead, he has the cachet to resolve issues quickly. When the CEO of a company resolves a complaint personally, words of praise (and more business) spread quickly.
7. Create multiple input points. Invite customers to provide feedback through multiple formats, including phone calls, emails, point-of-purchase cards and focus groups. Gaining feedback is about making the process easy for customers, not your company.
8. Leverage technology. SurveyMonkey.com makes it simple to gather feedback via an internet-based survey. It's fast, efficient and inexpensive. Also, it tabulates data automatically and doesn't require a techie to launch. Your data is virtually complete within 48 hours of sending customers an online link to the survey.
9. Share feedback throughout your organization. Responsibility for disseminating feedback extends beyond the marketing department. It should be considered theology from the executive suite to the sales force and everyone in between. Accordingly, all employees should know what customers are thinking by sharing feedback. This leads to better service decisions and future products.
10. Respond to feedback providers. You can't move a mountain in a day, but you can make it easier to climb by clearing a path. Customers who evangelize their friends and colleagues love responsive organizations, especially ones that keep them in the loop of how their feedback was used (or wasn't).
11. Join three associations in the next three weeks. Two of the them should be ones in which your current customers belong. Volunteer for at least one association committee, and apply your talents to help the associations succeed. This is how we land future business and feedback--by working directly with people who have the authority to hire you for their companies.
"Too many advertising and promoton dollars--and too much time--are spent on people who will never buy," Stein says. "Unless your lead generation advertising weeds these people out, it's not working effectively." To draw the most qualified leads with direct mail, Stein offers these tips:
12. Initial direct mail or email should push for action on the next step--sending for more information, a free sample, a free analysis. Once you qualify prospects, you can concentrate on a full presentation of product benefits, features and applications.
13. Ask prospects to fill in a few lines of information. Asking prospects to check off a single box on a reply card or reply to your email may not qualify them. Instead, don't make it too easy to reply. You'll boost the quality of your response without damaging quantity.
14. Use testimonials and case histories. They lend credibility and provide the prospect with applications and usage guidance. Large corporations should select testimonials or case histories that emphasize fast, personal service. Smaller marketers should use endorsements reflecting the company's strengths and stability.
15. Tailor your copy to the life-cycle stage of your product or service. If you're pioneering a new product, service or process, your efforts should focus on education. If your product, service or process is a new entry in an established category, you must convince prospects why they should consider a switch.
16. Humor works, but when in doubt, opt for strong benefit statements instead. Humor can cut through the clutter in a business environment, but it can also backfire. Your goal with humor is a smile of recognition, not a belly laugh. Avoid puns, double-entendres and parodies. Don't bring humor to the following situations: insurance, loans, health issues, management decisions. When possible, get a reaction from formal or informal focus groups before mailing humorous material.
17. Include a 'keeper' in your mailings. Give recipients something to remember you by after the "advertising" portion of your mailing is discarded, particularly if you're planning only one mailing. Possibilities include a wallet-sized calendar, tips to save time or improve energy, and adhesive notes that include your company's contact information.
18. Give prospects multiple opportunities to say "yes." You want them to ask for additional information or a price quote, and you want them to agree to a call or visit from your sales representative. The more narrowly defined your market, the more time you have to spend on each prospect.
19. If you decide to try mail, support it. If your mail package is expensive and dimensional, herald its arrival with a teaser package, email blast or print ad. If the mailing is relatively small, think about leaving a voice-mail message with the recipient. After the mailing drops, follow it up with telemarketing, a quick mail reminder or an email.
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