Surveys–Anyone
can do them
It’s fall.
Markets continue to suffer, the economy seems to be standing still and
the number of millionaires is dropping dramatically, ending a long-term
trend. Everyone is guessing what on earth is going to happen next. My
best client wrote an eloquent letter of truth and hope to his clients,
reminding them of some realities of investing, growth and life. An acquaintance
turned to a gypsy fortune teller for advice last week. Asking a gypsy
is as good as a asking a consultant to guess the future, especially
these days. But why guess about things you can know about?
Surveys can tell
you the pulse of any particular audience at any moment in time. Surveys
can show you when trends begin and when they end. Good surveys can be
magical and poor surveys cataclysmic when woven into your marketing
efforts.
Good surveys tend
to be brief, to the point, and cover relatively few topics. If you are
trying to do your own survey, you would be wise to follow these guidelines.
- Clearly identify
your survey objectives. What do you really want to know?
- Identify
your target audience(s). Devise a way to keep the responses
of different groups separate.
- Use the funnel
method: Start with broad questions, then get detailed. People
follow this logical progression easier.
- Surveys should
flow and have a logical progression. Jumping around confuses
and irritates the survey responder.
- Keep style
and grammar consistent and clear.
- Ask for email
addresses if you need to identify respondents by name.
- Use "rating"
or "scale" questions to clarify responses.
- Pre-test
questions before launching survey. Cooperative clients make great
critiquers.
If you associate
with lawyers, accountants, trust officers or other professionals,
a survey can show you how they really regard you and what they want
from you. If you ask your questions correctly, you can separate the
wheat from the chaff about who’s referring and who are merely sycophants
and users who will never refer you.
Conduct an online
client survey exclusively for your clients.
- decide what
you want to know
- invite your
clients to participate
- receive the
results
- apply what the
information tells you
View a mock up client
survey, based on a recent very successful one done anonymously for a
top advisor. We used many open ended questions because we surveyed only
22 clients, trying to understand how they understood-or did not understand-the
firm's branding. Click Sample
Survey
Questions? Email
jhmco@melchinger.com
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