A Priceless Marketing Tool — A Quick Client Interview to Focus Your Strategy

Bylori

A successful marketing program is fueled by knowledge and information. You must thoroughly know your products and services, and you must know the general trends and needs that drive business in your industry.

You must also have information and feedback on how well you’re meeting the requirements of individual customers and whether or not your marketing is reaching the audience most likely to buy what you have to offer. A marketing tool that can provide this information is a simple, direct client interview.

By speaking directly to your clients and customers, you can find out exactly what they want and need. You can ask questions that address what they like and don’t like about your products and services, as well as the marketing tool you used to create the sale. In a direct one-on-one interview, whether via telephone or in person, you can establish an environment in which your customer is comfortable and at ease, making it more likely that your interview subject will answer truthfully and candidly. Customer satisfaction questionnaires conducted by a third party research firm will also be very likely to create the atmosphere of frankness and honesty you want to achieve.

When you want answers to either specific questions about your marketing or general information about your products and services, be prepared to contact and interview at least 10 customers. By the seventh or eighth customer interview, you’ll begin to see any trends or inconsistencies in the responses you are receiving.

Ask questions such as:

  • What is your opinion about our company, our products and our services?
  • Do we provide a quality product at a fair and competitive price?
  • What buying process did you use?
  • What problem or challenge do you want our company’s offerings to resolve?
  • If you were in charge of this company, what would you change and what would you continue?
  • Do our products and services respond to any trends you are seeing in your market or industry?

What kinds of questions could you ask your customers to get answers that would help you improve your products and services while also narrowing the focus of your marketing strategy?

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