by Stuart Ayling from Marketing Nous

Consider this real-life example:

A dog day-care business offers a special half-price offer for the first day trip. Clients love the service… and so do the dogs! Unfortunately the business owners have trouble convincing these first-time clients to re-book (and pay double the rate they did the first time). Clients offer many reasons why they don’t re-book, but they rarely do.

Why do you think that is?

Promoting cut-price specials attracts cut-price clients

This is especially the case for service-based businesses.

Here’s another one. See the flyer below promoting “Professional and friendly accounting and business advice at affordable prices”.

What do you think the problem will be for this firm?

Hint: They are trying to attract price-conscious people (cheap clients).  

It’s not all bad. This firm offers special events on specific topics – very valuable for their clients. They also promote a network amongst clients – very thoughtful.

But then we look at all the price-focused offers.

 There are:

• Discount offers from network members.
• Entry to win a $100 Coles-Myer voucher.
• and… they also offer an extra 12.5% discount off their already low fees.
• Why do they offer the extra discount off already low fees?

What message is that giving potential clients?

I’ll tell you. The message implies their standard fees are be too high (that’s why they offer the extra 12.5% discount). The message also says they aren’t sure about the value they offer for clients (otherwise they would stick to their standard fee).

They also miss a trick because they have fallen prey to taking the easy way out. Discounting is a lazy way to promote your business. Plus it costs you real dollars every time.

A better solution would be to offer something extra that potential clients would find valuable. That’s right… something extra. Add value.

Don’t take away from your price… add something valuable that doesn’t cost you full-value

Example:
“Every new client that joins us this month will receive a free assessment of their record keeping procedures and recommendations to save you time and money in the future (valued at over $150). We’ve found that businesses can easily save hundreds of dollars in future fees by implementing these easy procedures.”

The idea here is to offer something at full ‘retail’ value that doesn’t cost you that much to provide. In this example the cost of providing the assessment is only the hourly rate of the staff member involved. You can minimise your outlay by creating simple systems for staff to use.

Plus, this offer will attract business owners who are keen to improve their business, not just ones who focus on getting the cheapest price.

What do you think?

Are you attracting cheap clients?

To have a great business, you need to establish a customer loyalty ladder. The ultimate aim then is to develop evangelists for your business, but where do you start?

In the first instance, a viewer is someone in the market place who could buy from you but is currently not a prospect or a customer.

Prospects are people who are not yet customers but who have shown some sort of interest in the products or services offered by your business. They might have responded to advertising or may have requested a quotation. The greatest marketing cost every business has is attracting prospects and then getting them to take the next step to become customers.

Customers are people who buy from your business once, but you shouldn’t stop your marketing/promotional activities once someone becomes a customer. In fact, you have only just started because you need to utilise systems, staff attitudes or your business’ knowledge to take customers to the next level.  

Clients are people who buy from your business more than once, so you need to continue to promote and market your business to them – show them you care!

Member – a member is a client who has dealt with your business a number of times who you then offer a “loyalty card” or offer “other inducements” to make them feel they are an important component to your business.

Advocates – Advocates are different to members because, when asked, they will recommend your business. Advocates need to be people who are well recognised by your team as being people who are prepared to be pro-active to viewers and prospects, in their support of your business.

Evangelists – the highest level of customer recognition is where an advocate becomes an evangelist. An evangelist openly promotes your business through things they say to other people, comments they make on your website, facebook and blogs. To develop an evangelist in your business, you need to make communications very easy and encourage members to become advocates and then to become evangelists for your business.

The team needs to understand that the first sale to a customer is the beginning of a relationship which will hopefully culminate in a customer becoming an evangelist for your business.

Then you have a loyalty ladder.

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It’s true what they say – you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Most people make up their minds within seconds of meeting someone whether they like them.

How are you going to give customers a positive message about your business?

Small business operators need to determine strategies to improve the chances of success from the first meeting of a potential customer or client. How are you going to influence these clients in the 5 seconds your business has to offer them outstanding service?

Some ways this can be achieved include:-

• training staff in greeting formats to be used when greeting visitors to your business premises;
• establishing telephone answering procedures – telephones should be answered courteously, promptly and in a way that the caller is made to feel very welcome.

You need to consider ways to improve your chances of getting a positive reaction from a first meeting or contact with a potential customer. One strategy would be to think carefully about what impressions you wish to convey to a visitor/prospect.

Your team needs to understand that, after the initial judgement has been made by a visitor/prospect, it can be fairly difficult to change a negative view into a positive one. This highlights the necessity to ensure that team members are aware that first impressions count in establishing an outstanding relationship with a visitor/prospect to your business.

One of the biggest things that turns off prospective clients is when someone is talking way above their heads.

It’s insulting, it’s confusing, and it shows the client that the business person doesn’t care about them or their feelings.

I know that accountants are often guilty of this when we use industry jargon and acronyms that nobody else is familiar with. The same is true for other industries (IT springs to mind). It’s often not deliberate; just a habit.

A good way to generate leads is to talk to prospective clients in a way that they can understand. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the over-eager salesperson or consultant who throws fancy terms around in order to try and sell us on a product or make an impression. It’s frustrating. The last thing that anyone wants to do is to feel like they are dumb, and when they don’t understand what you are talking about, that is how they can feel.

Whether you are making a flyer, a brochure, or your website. write it in laymans’ terms so that people there can understand what it is that you are saying.  I’ve left some websites not even knowing what the heck the service provider actually does – even after reading the About and Services pages!

It’s easy to think that clients will be impressed by the vast knowledge that you show, but it can have just the opposite affect if they get turned off by terms that they don’t understand.

If there are terms that you have to use, consider including a glossary so that people know that you thought of them when you were creating the information.

This will not only impress them but it will also show that you really care about them being well informed.

Don’t assume that everyone will know what you are talking about, or will be impressed by big words and a lot of jargon. Depending on who the target audience is, it may make them decide to turn around and go with your competitor.

Okay, it’s question time:

• Do your customers say “WOW“?
• Do they recommend your business to their friends and associates?
• Do you acknowledge long-term clients for their continuous support of your business?
• Do you send letters to new customers thanking them for their patronage?
• Do you encourage customers to give you referrals to their friends and associates?
• Do you ask clients for testimonials that you can post on your website?
• Do you give guarantees?
• Does your staff understand the lifetime value of a customer?
• Do you have a customer database?
• Do you understand the demographics of your customers?
• Do you have procedures in place for handling complaints?

To make impressive profits you should add value to the basic product or service. 

Customers receiving no-frills service expect to pay bargain-basement prices

You should be continually thinking of ways and means of adding value to whatever you are producing in your business.  

You are there to solve a customers problem and for that the customer will reward you by paying a price that will be inflated if the customer perceives that s/he has received excellent service and add-on value.

If the customer only receives very basic service and no frills, then the customer will expect to only pay a bargain basement price.

To obtain the add-on value, you and your staff will have to believe in the product or service that you are selling.

Show your customers that you are completely satisfied with what you are producing. Package the whole product or service with the add-on service and sell it to the customer with a passion!  

You will not receive excellent profits in your business unless there is some passion and commitment in the way your business deals with its customers. 

Successful businesses promote and sell their product with great enthusiasm and then embrace their customers with outstanding customer service. This is how businesses earn additional profits as compared to other businesses that struggle to make profits.

One of the very important “customer knowledge” tools for you to use is Customer Tracking Forms.  These forms are available from Yellow Pages or you can design your own. 

List the various marketing and advertising activities in which you are involved as well as word of mouth referrals and anything else that you are doing.  

During the conversation with a visitor to your store enquire as to what made them come to your store and record the details. 

On a weekly basis, tally-up the totals for the various categories so that you have a current picture as to why customers are coming to you.

This will give you a good idea as to whether various promotional and advertising strategies are working. 

If you receive referrals on a word of mouth basis from a satisfied customer, send that customer a “thank you” card and a Gift Voucher.  This will encourage satisfied customers to continue to refer people to your business.

Almost every company, whether they’re big or small, has a customer service department – or at the very least an owner who wears the customer service hat on a daily basis.

A small business can actually become big based on their customer service. Before you overlook the idea, let’s take a look at the differences we see in small business customer service versus the customer service we see in the larger companies.

Take advantage of your small business status and go big on customer service

The bigger they are – the harder they fall. This rings true with the larger companies and their customer service. Call a big company with a complaint and you’ll rarely get a satisfactory resolution. In fact, you might hang up before you even reach a human because they keep you embroiled on their automated system until you finally feel defeated and chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Customers can lose interest in a company fast if they don’t get their complaints taken care of in a timely manner. A small business owner can offer personalised complaint resolution in a timely manner.  

Policies can be a pitfall. The larger companies generally have some kind of policy in place to protect themselves – the fine print you forgot to read when you bought the product.

The smaller business owner tends to stand by his product or service, or is so intent on growing his business that he delivers above and beyond your expectations to ensure that you remain loyal to his brand.

Make sure you treat every customer the same and provide the kind of customer care you’d want to have if it was you on the other end of the line making the call. Sometimes, you might lose a customer based on his or her dissatisfaction, but don’t let it cause you to tarnish your reputation by being rude or negative with them. Continue being polite, because even though you didn’t meet their needs, they could recommend someone to you in the future whose needs you will meet.

Customer service is meant to help support the customer whenever they have questions or problems. When you address a customer as a person and not a case number they’re more likely to come back and do business with you again.

The small business owner has the advantage in this respect. Their business focus is on their customers and getting them to come back. Larger companies have the luxury of seeing an influx of new customers every day, so they’re sometimes not as concerned with keeping the old ones happy.

Take advantage of your small business status and go big on customer service or it could be the one thing holding you back from achieving growth in your small business.

Complaining customers are a scary proposition for many professionals, but the complaint situation represents an opportunity – not necessarily a problem.

COMPLAINTS + RESOLUTION = CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

If you deal with a person’s concerns respectfully and helpfully, your effort and consideration will almost always be appreciated, and former “complainers” will walk away feeling happy and valued.

Recognising how you can benefit from complaints given by customers makes for an opportunity to improve and grow.

Continue to meet with your team and review what the complaint and what went wrongs; consider approaches to ensure it does not happen again.

Yes, sometimes complaints can be difficult to handle but don’t be afraid of them. Be grateful to the customer for bringing the complaint to your attention (trust me, it’s better they tell you than go home to complain to all of their friends!). Had they simply ignored their dissatisfaction and went elsewhere; it would have been a lost customer. By their bringing this matter to you s/he is giving you the opportunity to correct it and to make future efforts on not letting the situation repeat.

Complaints + resolution = growth and customer satisfaction.

Word Of Mouth (WOM) marketing is a marketing technique that many business people know about but are unsure how to utilise.

Simply put, WOM marketing involves one of your existing clients giving your business a referral. It’s valuable to your business because it’s cheap (or free in most cases!) and because your customers have already established a trusting relationship, they are confident to “sell” your product to their friends. This means the potential consumer can focus on the product/service information without the normal apprehension they would feel when talking to one of your sales people.

DO YOU HAVE A REFERRAL SYSTEM?

This is “poetry in motion” for a business owner! Not only are they coming to you first, they are already confident in your business and therefore are more likely to buy.

Here are some great ways to get referrals:  

•  Ensure you give outstanding customer and quality service. People expect good service, make yours outstanding!
• Make sure you acknowledge every referral you get. Send your client a thank-you card or movie tickets. Give them a discount. This will encourage more referrals and the customer will feel great!
• Create a referral system and promote it to your clients. Make sure your staff are briefed and know how it works.
• Take time to employ the right staff for your business. Treat them fairly and train them properly. A staff member who leaves in dodgy circumstances can generate a lot of negative feedback.
• Handle customer complaints promptly and empathetically. Sometimes you might have to waiver a policy or go out of your way. BE WARNED: Always use common sense and remember your financial situation. The customer is always right; unless they are wrong. In which case they may not be worth the trouble.

Above all, when it comes to creating a referral system, be different and don’t be afraid to get creative.

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A trades business can develop considerable rapport with their customer base by establishing a schedule of programmed services to be carried out, especially at households. This is done by preparing a list of normal work that (say) a plumber has to do around a residence on a six monthly or annual basis and encouraging customers to set up an appointment for the time that work is going to be undertaken for them.

The key thing is that the work is carried out in a very efficient tradesperson like manner and more importantly that you arrive on time. 

Programmed services can assist with planning, cashflow, and gaining additional business for yourself. Of course, if you are booking appointments months ahead of time, it’s a good idea to send a reminder/confirmation a week or two prior to the actual date.

One of the very important “customer knowledge” tools for you to use is Customer Tracking Forms.  

List the various marketing and advertising activities in which you are involved as well as word of mouth referrals and anything else that you are doing. 

During the conversation with a visitor to your store  enquire as to what made them come to your store and record the details.

On a weekly basis, tally-up the totals for the various categories so that you have a current picture as to why customers are coming to you.

This will give you a good idea as to whether various promotional and advertising strategies are working. 

If you receive referrals on a word of mouth basis from a satisfied customer, send that customer a “thank you” card and a Gift Voucher.  This will encourage satisfied customers to continue to refer people to your business.

Do you always ask, “How did you find us?”  It’s a good habit to get into.

There are various laws relating to advertising which can be summarised by saying “be honest” and if you are promising to do something, you have to do it. The experts believe you should be putting yourself in the shoes of consumers. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver and ensure your advertisement will be clearly understood by the consumer.

Over-promising or not delivering what you promised can cause you problems under the Trade Practices Legislation which could involve prosecution by the Australian Consumer Competition Commission (ACCC). Some of the common breaches of advertising rules include:-

• “two-pricing” advertising – this is where an item was originally claimed to having been listed for sale at the original price (eg $800) and it has now been reduced to half price (eg $400). If called upon to do so by the ACCC, you need to be able to prove that not only was the item listed for the original sale price, but that you actually made sales at that original price.

• “bait” advertising – this is where an advertisement is placed which lists an item for a very attractive price but when the potential customer goes to purchase the item, he is told “sorry, it is no longer available” and then the sales person tries to sell the potential customer another product. If the potential customer complains to ACCC they will investigate and take action against the business if the ACCC believe there was never any stock available to be sold at that very low price. The ACCC consider that the advertising was only used as a “bait” to get the potential customer into the store.

• omission in advertising – another problem that can occur in advertising is if important information is deliberately omitted from the advertisement. This can be an offence as it could be alleged that the business has deliberately misled the consumer.

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Most businesses need to ensure that there is ongoing education of their team on the lifetime value of a new customer.

Lifetime customers represent repeat business and repeat business equals profits.

If you assume that the lifetime period of a customer is between 7 to 10 years on average; multiply the average sale by the number of times you expect to see that customer each year and then multiply the projected annual sales by the number of years expectancy for ‘lifetime”. This will give you some idea as to what the customer is potentially worth to your business. This means that one of the most affective ways of marketing your business is to increase the number of visits that your long-term customers make to your premises, as this will add to the lifetime value of the customer.

To develop lifetime value of customers, you could consider the implementation of a referral system where current customers are encouraged to refer new people to your business with an appropriate incentive being given to the referrer. This could be a weekly lucky prize or a discount off a product in your business.

How do you develop lifetime customers?

• Improve your referral system.
• Create outstanding service to all customers to encourage them to become lifetime customers.
• Create a database of customers and offer them outstanding service.
• Keep improving the level of service to customers.
• Offer special events and promotions for your customers.
• Go the extra mile.
• Get them to say ‘wow’!

What are some of the ways you’ve used to develop loyalty or improve the lifetime value of your customers?

Most experienced small business operators understand that keeping clients happy and building up business through referrals is crucial. If they didn’t, they probably wouldn’t have been around long enough to become “experienced small business operators”.  Most prospering & profitable small businesses have something in common – their operators understand that customer service is the key to building a strong business.

Good customer service is the key to building a good reputation and a healthy business.

Customer service skills come naturally to some people. If you’re not one of them, don’t panic! It’s not rocket science and it’s very easy to learn.

To start with, all you need to do is think about the different levels of customer service you’ve experienced. As you go about your business this week, every time you deal with a small business make a mental note of the impression you walk away with. What has the business done – or not done – to give you that impression?

While each business is different, here are the basics of customer service that apply to everyone:

• Be available for your clients. This doesn’t have to mean staying open all hours or answering your home phone on Sunday afternoons – it might simply mean keeping regular hours and being available during those hours;

• Respond to enquiries quickly – whether it’s answering the phone, replying to an email, or attending a customer at the store counter, customers don’t like to be left waiting. If you can’t attend to them immediately, let them know – via your phone message, a brief email, or verbally.

• Call back – if someone has left you a message, call back promptly and if you’ve told a client you’ll call them back at a certain time or on a certain day, do it. It’s annoying when you have to chase someone who said they’d call you back. Last week I experienced this irritation first-hand with several service providers… unfortunately for them, by the time my calls were returned, I had already taken my business elsewhere;

• Basic courtesy goes a long way towards creating a good impression. Expand that to refrain from saying anything that suggests the client doesn’t know what they’re talking about, or displaying impatience with them;

• Don’t promise what you can’t provide. If you can’t complete a job by the date requested, say so.

• Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it. It’s frustrating when someone doesn’t turn up at a time they’ve given you or don’t have the job ready on the agreed day. It can also be inconvenient if the person has arranged it around other plans or work. Failing to advise a client if you are going to be late or unable finish a project on time is rude and bad for your business.

• Keep your premises clean and tidy. Right or wrong, the state of your work space can give clients an impression of your work practices – so look organized and on top of things . If you have the space, keeping a “work desk” separate from public view can be a good idea.

• Behave professionally in front of clients – this applies whether you are in a shop or office, or attending a function with clients. Don’t drink too much, swear or make bad jokes. Clients may not say anything to you but they’ll certainly be telling everyone else about your behaviour.

• If you make an error, fix it gladly even if you’re losing money. Mistakes happen and things get forgotten. When a client points out an error or oversight, apologise and fix it promptly. It’s my opinion that how you deal with problems and mistakes can do more to help (or harm) your businenss than anything else.

• Thank them for their business. It might be a simple verbal thank you as you finish dealing with a retail customer, or an email to online customer you’ve never met, or a small Christmas gift for a regular client – but clients like to know their business is appreciated, and a thank you rarely goes unnoticed.

Some customer service experiences stick in our minds – the good and the bad. Can you remember your best and worse example of customer service you received? What earned it that title?

It is common knowledge that keeping your old customers is cheaper than trying to attain new customers. So why is it that we forget this when considering our marketing & advertising strategies? The fact is, if all of our efforts are focused on obtaining new clients, who’s marketing to our current clients? There are some great, cost effective ways of marketing to our current clients in a non-evasive way.

There are some rules though: never over contact your clients (once a month is sufficient, you don’t want to look desperate!), always think of the customers’ needs before contacting them and what will have the biggest impact (after all, you are providing them with a solution to their need), contact your #1 clients first and treat them like royalty (these customers are your priceless jewels; make sure they feel like it) and finally, put dates on special offers or promotions (this creates urgency in the eyes of the consumer & increases your chances of a quick sale).

Newsletters like this one are great as they do a number of things:

• keep your business & logo in the mind of the customer;
• allow you to promote products you supply that the customer may not have known about;
• inexpensive to create and distribute (whether by email or Australia Post);
• increases the credibility you have in your field making you look like an expert;
• non-evasive information that can be viewed at the customer’s pace; and
• interesting well written and researched articles could lead to customers talking about it or passing it on to friends (for a marketer this is like winning the lotto!).

Be warned! Never confuse your newsletter with a sales brochure or a letter. Don’t base your newsletter around how your business is performing or your business’ highlight of the month. Save that info for Christmas! More than likely your clients don’t care and these approaches will annoy them and cause them to opt out or throw it in the bin. You can however add a simple “have you heard about our new product?” or “this month’s product feature” section so long as you keep it straight forward and light.

Above all, your newsletter should be fun, informative and always keep your customers’ interests in mind (though, I must admit,  I struggle with this  when trying to include an element of “fun” while producing tax and compliance newsletters!).

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Sponsorship IS an investment on which the business should be expecting a meaningful return. The business needs to ensure that they are receiving real value and not just ‘lip-service’ from the sponsorship funds that they have invested in the sporting, charitable or community group.

Sponsorship can assist an SME by:-
• generating more business;
• building relationships with your targeted customers;
• promoting products or services;
• showing support for the local community;
• increasing your market presence;
• creating a positive business image in your local community;
• helping differentiate your business from competitors; and
• improving your relationships with employees or contractors.

Businesses should seek a sponsorship business plan from the organisation that is seeking financial support.

You will then need to closely evaluate the sponsorship proposal. Some of the questions that you might ask are:-
• Is the organisation proposing a marketing partnership with your business?
• Are the members, supporters and audience potential customers?
• Do your products or services fit?
• What are the goals of the sponsorship?
• What additional leverage can be attained through the sponsorship?
• What additional activities can be undertaken to enhance the sponsorship?
• Have you conducted due diligence on the organisation?

Clients who are considering sponsorship are encouraged to contact Christie (christie at lewistaxation.com.au) for a free copy of the Sponsorship Business Paper from our Marketing series, along with a Sponsorship Evaluation Checklist.

A recent experience reminded me how important it is to make it easy for your customers to deal with you.

As some of you will know, we are seeking commercial premises to establish a primary office. We made an appointment to view a particular vacant storefront and were shown through. Now, as we had taken the morning off already, we decided to head directly back to the real estate (less than 100m away) and see if we could also see the vacant commercial premises for lease right NEXT DOOR to the real estate. The rent was almost double for a premises 2/3 the size, but it had other qualities which appealed to me.

The exchange went something like this:

Young girl at the front desk calls out to other staff member at back of the office, “Where are the keys for next door? I want to show these people through”

Girl at back responds “Do they have an appointment?”

Young girl at front desk: “Do you have an appointment? You need to make an appointment.”

We explain that we were just shown through the premises a few doors down and would like to also see the one next door aswell.

Young girl at the front desk relays this infomration by calling it out to the other staff member at back of the office who responds, “You’ll have to let Miss X [person we just met with] know.”

Young girl at front desk tells us they need to ask Miss X first (we saw her less than 2 mins before but she hadn’t returned to the office yet).  They try calling her mobile to no avail. No answer after several attempts.

Young girl at front desk: “She’s not answering her phone. Can we get your details so she can call you back?”

So here we stand before them; qualified prospects who are there right then and keen at the moment. The store keys are there. The premises are adjacent. At least three staff appear to be free. The store has been vacant for a lengthy of period in a poor economic climate and, they want to get back to us. It doesn’t take a superior salesperson to work out what’s wrong with this picture.

We leave our details (which, I might add, Miss X already had from the appointment we’d just had with her) and left hoping to hear back while we were still in the area. Obviously, anyone looking at commercial premises is a busy person with little time to waste. As it were, two days later, the call is returned and we were invited to make an appointment to view the premises next door to the Real Estate the following week.

Now, I understand policies and procedures; in fact, I’m a firm believer in them when they contribute to efficiency.  However, a simple request should be able to be met with an immediate simple solution. Your clients or customers do not want – or have time for - unneccesary complications.

My advice:: DON’T MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS WORK TOO HARD TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU!!! (they won’t).

Have you had

Bergan Blue recently posted a blog article titled Finding the Right Match that I feel all business owners will benefit from reading (or at least being reminded about).

Over the last couple of years, being in business has taught me the importance of finding the right match. I’m talking about finding products, services or people that suit your business, suit what it needs, suit your personality and your culture…. Read the full article here.
 

As the post points out, finding the right service providers for your needs is just the start. Finding the right customers/clients is also vital to your business success (and your sanity!).

The first time I seriously considered this concept was after picking up a copy of Michael Port’s book, Book Yourself Solid. One of the opening chapters deals with having a ‘red velvet rope policy’  which only certain potential clients would be allowed through. I thought to myself at the time, “What world is this guy living in? When you’re starting out (ie. keen for cashflow) every client is a good client.” I was very WRONG!

It’s not an easy thing to turn down potential business but sometimes it is the smartest thing you can do for both yourself and your business reputation. Go with your instincts… if your gut is screaming at you it’s a bad move to accept a particular customer, ask yourself why and listen to what that niggling voice is telling you.

As part of your ongoing commitment to offering fantastic service, have you considered conducting a customer survey?

Customer surveys assist in getting feedback from one of the most important stakeholders in your business – your customers. You can gain feedback in a number of ways. Some very successful business people have specific times available to meet with their customers to listen to their comments and feedback. A customer survey form could be used to indicate to your clients that you are concerned about the type of services you are suppling. Encourage your customers to complete the form and return it to you so you can understand what your customers/clients think of your products/services and more importantly, will help to determine whether any changes in your product mix are necessary. Questions that could be asked include:

• Why do you buy products/services from this business?
• How do our products/services compare with competitors’?
• Are you adequately informed of what is going on in this business?
• Have you any comments on the business’ marketing strategy?
• What do you feel are the strengths of this business?
• What do you see are the weaknesses of this business?
• What opportunities do you believe exist for this business?
• What threats do you believe exist for this business?
• What would you like this business to do to improve its customer service?

• Do you get information from the business introducing new products/services?
• In what circumstances would you be prepared to purchase additional products/services from this business?
• Do you recommend this business to your friends and associates? If not, why not.

These types of questions will give you some meaningful feedback that you can then use to develop your plans and strategies to improve your business’ products/services.