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Getting the Customer Feedback Survey Right by Dave Free

You can hardly go into a business anymore without being asked to complete a customer satisfaction survey. Home Depot, Chili's, my local grocery store—check your receipts--the invitations are everywhere. Knowing that I'm interested in such things, my wife called me over to her computer a few days ago and said, "Look, another survey for you to take." Sure enough, DexOnline.com was asking for 10 minutes of my time to complete a customer survey. I started the survey with good intentions but never made it to the end. It wasn't that I didn't have the time or the interest; it was that after a while I couldn't remember enough about my experience to give them a good answer. I felt like I was in the chair at the eye doctor, "Is this better or this?" I couldn't remember. So, feeling like a failure, I gave up and logged out.

I've often wondered what becomes of all this data? Does anyone ever look at it? Does anyone ever do anything with it? Here is one thing I know for sure: they never get back to me to solve my problems. But then, how can they? They don't ask for my contact info. I know what the theories are. I know that in general we as humans don't like to disappoint and we are more likely to be honest (especially if the news is bad) behind someone's back than we are to their face. So anonymous surveys are thought to be more honest than those we "own." I get that, but if I just had a bad experience at the grocery store and I'm willing to tell them about it, I want them to take care of me. At that moment, as a consumer, I don't care about making their process better. I care about me. If they make it right for me, then I'll be loyal. I'll be back and I'll tell my friends about it. But if you ask for my feedback and then I never hear from you again--even if you do improve your process--from my perspective you've done nothing for me. And that chance to win $10,000? Forget about it. If I wanted to play the lottery, I'd go buy a ticket, where I'm sure somebody actually wins.

So does that mean asking your customers for feedback is a bad idea? No, not at all. It is a great way to better understand your customers and begin a dialog with them. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you develop your strategy:

1. Remember it is About Them, not You or Your Business. Your customer's job is not to make your business better. Ask them what they think so that you can understand and please them, not so you can make your business better. It is subtle, but there is a key difference here. The great thing is as you focus on them and pleasing them, your business will get better.

2. Get Back to Them. If you are going to ask your customers for feedback, make sure you are committed and have the logistics in place to get back to them. At the very least, thank them for their effort and do what you can to make any thing that might be wrong, right.

3. Keep it Short. I can't stress this enough. A short survey will increase your response rate and increase the accuracy of the feedback. Remember my experience with Dexonline? About four minutes into it, I was clicking on whatever came up first just to get done.

4. Remember your Goal. This goes hand-in-hand with number three. The customer feedback survey is not the place to try to get the answers to all of your questions (no matter how critical they may be). Your real goal is to get an indication of customers' overall perceptions and start a dialog. If you really need answers to other questions, get back in touch with them and ask them if they'd be willing to participate in a more in-depth study. Think of it as one more opportunity to increase customer loyalty.

5. Use an Automated Tool. There is no reason not to use an automated tool to collect feedback. Your results will be more accurate and timely and it will be easier for you to get back to your customers quickly (see number 2). I'm biased, but I think PromoterZ(tm) (http://promoterz.com) is the best tool for gathering customer feedback and acting on it quickly.

Dave Free is president of Zeryn, makers of PromoterZ(tm) http://promoterz.com. PromoterZ helps small businesses grow through referrals and customer feedback. Take a remarkably brief PromoterZ survey and receive a $5 discount on PromoterZ for life.

Article Source: Getting the Customer Feedback Survey Right

Coffee Shop GiveawaysBy Karyn Lewis

Giving away various items at your coffee shop can increase your sales. Consumers really like to find added value in what they are already paying for. If you are looking for ways to get an advantage over your competition this can really help you to accomplish it. These free items don't have to be very expensive either in order for you to benefit from them.

Think about how many punches you want them to have to complete to get a free coffee drink. Most coffee shops go with ten or twenty and a person can fill this up in just a couple of weeks with regular visits. You can also make the punch card based on dollar amounts instead of the number of visits. Make sure you use a very unique punching system though so people can't cheat!

Some coffee shop owners go a step further with this type of give away. They can have the customer fill in their name and personal information on the back of it. A drawing can take place monthly for terrific coffee products from these eligible customers. It can be a gift certificate to use in the coffee shop, samples of coffee, and even coffee cups.

You can be really creative with the prizes you offer and they don't have to be worth very much money either. It is a good idea to offer something relating to your business but you don't have to. You may decide to go with a larger type of drawing. For example all of the completed punch cards can be placed into a drawing at the end of the year for a free vacation.

If you want to increase the stakes, consider only having one drawing each year. Customers can fill up as many punch cards as they can to be in the drawing. Make this for something spectacular such as a trip for two. The additional business these promotions generate will more than pay for the expenses involved in the free give away.

Giving your customers the opportunity to be able to try new drinks is a great way to keep them coming back to see what else you have to offer. If they really don't like a new drink they purchased be willing to replace it. The customers will appreciate this nice gesture and be even more loyal to your coffee shop.

When you are designing your coffee shop, consider offering some places where customers can access free wireless internet connections for their laptops. This is a very nice free gift you can offer them. They can take some time to enjoy their drink while they are working too.

Some coffee shops have computer terminals set up that customers can come in and use instead of using their own. This is a personal choice that you may want to consider. It does increase the cost of getting your coffee shop operational but it can definitely draw a crowd of customers for you as well.

About the Author: Karyn Lewis is passionate about great coffee. If you are thinking of starting a coffee shop, and avoiding the common mistakes new owners make, you can read more at her recommended at her coffee business website.

Source: www.isnare.com
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Becoming A Business Leader With A Successful Home BusinessBy Dustin Heath Cannon

The numbers of individual hopefuls who start home businesses on a daily basis are legion. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that the lion’s share of newly built websites is devoted to those Internet users who are hopeful to turn their entrepreneurial leanings into a successful business that will soon eclipse the income they derive from a traditional job. Unfortunately, success measured by the very profitability that is the primary component separating a successful business venture from a hobbyist pursuit of an activity, and as such a fiscally productive home business will permit you to take your rightful place among business leaders as opposed to remaining the somewhat anonymous hobbyist who is barely breaking even.

Fiscal profitability does not happen by itself but instead it relies on the business owner’s savvy in growing the business almost from its inception while keeping expenses at a bare minimum. Much to their detriment, many a home business hopeful is thrilled with the initial sale or small client base accumulated rather than immediately focusing on the legions of potential customers as of yet not reached and sales potential not yet realized. A mindset that zeroes in on business growth right from the start is the winning attitude that sets apart a successful home business entrepreneur from many others selling the same good or service.

Making the most of business opportunities, taking action right away instead of becoming paralyzed by overanalyzing a possibility at profit, and keeping your expenses as low as possible are vital to your business success. Ensure that you have set up a realistic budget for your home business that incorporates any office supply and logistic needs you may have, but that also leaves a lot left over for advertisement. Do not fall into the trap of purchasing the latest and greatest office machine or computing equipment if – at least in the beginning – you can make do with cheaper machines. In the beginning you will need to focus on order generation, order taking, and order fulfillment. This may be accomplished with used computers, a postage meter that is purchased second or third hand, and a desk that has seen better days. Anything that does not directly fall into the three focus areas is considered extra and may be purchased after you have turned a sufficient profit.

While you are curtailing expenses, your quest for income generation needs to go full steam ahead. Skillful promotion aimed at making your home business a household name takes time and effort, but failing to invest both will leave your profit anemic at best. Marketing should initially be focused on your most successful good or service and only later branch out to also include your other products or services you might be offering. Staying on track with these tips will ensure your home business’ success in the beginning as well as during its heyday while at the same time helping you become a business leader rather than a follower in the footsteps of those who know how to realize their entrepreneurial dreams.

About the Author: Dustin Cannon, of Next Level Enterprises, LLC is a successful Internet marketer working with top leaders in the home business and Internet marketing industry. For more information visit: Passport To Wealth Marketing CoOp

Source: www.isnare.com
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Synergistic Relationships ~ Joint VenturesBy Robin Elliott

Last night, my friend, Jos told me that when African elephants stand along the bank of a river to drink water, they instinctively adopt a very considerate and practical approach. Those who stand upstream wait until last to drink. Those furthest downstream first drink, then wash themselves in the river, so that the mud doesn’t affect the other elephants. Then the next one drinks, and so on, one by one, upstream. In this way, everyone gets clean, clear water to drink and bathe in. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Then Jos told me about deer on steep mountain trails here in British Columbia. Evidently, when a deer is about to pass another on a narrow, slippery and treacherous trail, the deer at the highest point stops and waits until the other deer has passed. This is to avoid slipping and pushing the other deer over the edge. Some small minded, egotistical business owners seem to relish the prospect of pushing their competition “over the edge”, as it were! Smart entrepreneurs, on the other hand, realize that their competition can be their strongest allies.

Did you know that 20% of the revenues of large, Fortune 500 and International 2,000 companies come from Joint Ventures? And that a massive 50% of those Joint Ventures are with their competition? Amazing, but true. The best entrepreneurs create powerful, win/win strategic alliances and share resources, distribution and access. Wal-Mart established themselves in Mexico in a fraction of the normal time by joint venturing with an existing Mexican company. I once grew my revenues in one of the profit centers in my business from $4,000 to $20,000 in four days using a joint venture. It would have taken me four years on my own!

Together, we can do amazing things. We don’t have money problems; we have thinking problems. Everything you need is already available when you create synergistic relationships, in any area of life – not only business. Unity is strength. United we stand, divided we fall. The key to success is linking up with the right people. We started the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum to link successful professional entrepreneurs, and it works magnificently. By being very selective and educating ourselves, we team up to reach our goals and create value, just like elephants and deer.

About the Author: Get Joint Venture Expert Robin J. Elliott’s FREE "How To Grow Serious Wealth Using Joint Ventures" Mini-Course and the Prophet of Profit e-Zine along with video blogs, world class articles, free video, and access to top Joint Venture Partners. Click here! http://www.jvwisdom.com

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