Tip # 1-10 - Know Your Best Clients Well 

In less than two decades we have moved from the computer age (processing data faster) to the information age (understanding data and trends) and onward into the communications age (sharing information so we can do something productive with it).  People want to be heard now more than ever before. Are you ready to hear what your clients have to say? Are you ready to adjust your business to your clients’ wishes? Today’s clients not only need to be heard, they need to know you are listening by receiving your feedback on their input. Then they need your leadership. 

            To obtain and maintain effective, timely information about how your clients feel and what they really want requires your initiative to provide the right questions and the appropriate forum for answering them. Conducting regular client surveys may provide your best source of marketing information ever.

A survey is not just a questionnaire—it is a method for developing meaningful dialogue with your clients. The steps are pretty straightforward.

1.     decide what you want to know

2.     formulate your questions

3.     format the questions (Y/N,  T/F, rate on a scale, write a response, etc.)

4.     produce the questionnaire (the layout, customized to fit your image)

5.     invite clients to participate

6.     call known responders to say thanks, taking the opportunity to fix problems they raised or make additional progress in key areas of concern

7.     log responses and tabulate data

8.     summarize the data

9.     interpret the data, turning it into information you can use

10.  decide your courses of action

11.  report back to clients on general findings and what you are going to do in response, showing that you listened

12.  repeat every 6 to 12 months

            New Year and Mid-Year letters to clients mentioning significant findings in the surveys and steps you are taking to improve your business is good news for clients who want to know that you are keeping up with them and the times. When clients feel they are participating, this helps keep the lines of communication open, frank and mutually productive. It also helps you continue to inform clients of the full range of services you provide, reminding them of things they are apt to forget.

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