Marketing Tips
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
How many times have you been in shop or on the phone to a service company and got the run around? How often have you thought, these guys haven’t got a clue, they really don’t want my business and next time I’m off somewhere else.
It’s fair to say that we all find ourselves in these situations at various times but shock horror, what if your customers were thinking that of you.
Most of the time, they won’t even tell you, they’ll just start using your competitor, and the customers that do let you know their dissatisfaction have told so many people about their negative experience that even if you do patch up your relationship with them, you’ve still lost.
So at least once or twice a year, take time out of the normal day to day running of your business and put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
Take a stroll through dealing with your company or buying your product in exactly the same way as your customers do. You’d be amazed at what you’d find out.
If you feel you are too well recognised or too close to the business to do this yourself, don’t worry, get someone else who you thrust to do it for you. This person must not be connected to your business as to have any pre-conceived ideas. You can set the ground rules for them, that’s easy, instruct them to purchase from your company as a customer and to log all of their experiences.
This can be called mystery shopping or just plain good business but it provides you with a great barometer of how well you are serving your customers needs, what is working well, and what needs fixing.
It will highlight areas such as:
- How easy it is to contact your business
- How helpful your staff are
- Whether you are consistent in your message or causing confusion
- What your after sales service is like
- Are your products promoted better or worse than your competitors
- How you compare on price and service
The findings will provide the basis of your sales and marketing plan for the business.
Even better, combine this with a mystery shop on your competitors and see how you compare.
Want to find out more? Talk to Paul Hurley at MarketBuild on 01-8684823 or 086-8033052
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