Don't Shy Away From Surveys

May 2005

Visit our web sites to learn more about us!





	•	Behind the Scenes Bring on the challenges, says Danielle Torres, Director of International Sourcing for Dard Products. Click here for story.


	•	New Product Spotlight – Message in a Bottle Tiny sea shells and sand makes these keepsakes authentic. Click here for offer.


	•	What’s New with Women’s Apparel Need help educating clients and prospects on how ladies garbs has changed? Click here for story.

	•	The Sales Strategist Here are tips for business planning, from revenue to vacation time. Click here for story.

	•	Work the Buying Chain Here’s a market you may have overlooked along with ideas for tapping into it. Click here for story.

	•	Radio Advertising What you need to know about arranging to broadcast your services. Click here for story.

	•	Office Space and Productivity Need more room or a more upscale image? Shared space may be the answer. Click here for story.

Don’t Shy Away From Surveys

If you don’t always know why you lose customers — other than the obvious reason, like you screw up! — it’s a good idea to periodically ask clients to provide information about how they perceive you.

A survey might sound like drudgery but, properly presented and executed, both you and your target audience will learn something in the process. And getting clients to participate might not be as hard as you think. A few ideas follow:

Announce the survey in advance. Alert your target audience ahead of time to your plan to learn more about their likes, dislikes, wants and needs via survey. Promote the return they will get for their investment in completing the survey (the reward). The more steps you set up to administer the survey, the more you demonstrate how serious you are about gathering information. Too many companies opt for the easy way out, slapping a few questions on the back of a packing slip or just mailing a list of questions.
Make it worth their while. Develop a list of ways you can reward clients for participating. A gift certificate to redeem with a local business (maybe you can get the business to share in the cost of this promotion)? An unusual promotional product (might as well showcase something some clients may not have seen before)? Don’t automatically opt to pass along a coupon for their next order; the most valuable feedback you’ll get is from clients who aren’t your best fans, in which case a future discount may have little appeal.
Make it easy to complete. Give buyers a chance to fill out the survey in print or online and keep it anonymous. Some clients might only feel comfortable being candid if they are able to share their comments without being identified.

Finally, be creative and treat your survey like a promotion. (For example, call it “Spring Cleaning Survey – an Invitation to Air Your Dirty Laundry About Our Services” and get a dry-cleaner in your area to contribute a coupon.) It will result in a more memorable impression and, who knows, some clients might ask you to develop a similar promotion to send to their clients.