If you want to know the truth about how your business compares to the competitor, just ask your customer! This may seem like a strange thing to do, but if you think about it – your customer is the only one that experiences the service and can actually verbalize the product and customer service comparison.
Here are eight questions that you can ask your customer to help guide you in staying ahead of the competition and on the right side of your customer:
1. “Why do you buy from us?” – This highlights your product strengths – some of which you may not be aware.
2. “Can you name one particular individual who has impressed you in our organization?” – This highlights the ‘unsung heroes’ on your team.
3. “Do you refer us to others, and if so, why?” – A truthful answer will give you insight into the quality of your services.
4. “What’s one thing could we do better?” – This may highlight key issues that you never even thought about.
5. “What would you say to someone else who asked you about us?” – Their initial response to this is often a revealing one!
6. “What is the one thing we should never stop doing?” – This one tells you what they really value about you AND your services!
7. “Are you ‘completely’ happy with us?” – It can only be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ The obvious follow-up question is…
8. “Why / Why not?” – You must be prepared for positive and negative feedback – this is where lessons are learned!
You may feel you can’t ask these questions of your customers. You must if you want to be rewarded with tremendous insight and you’ll find that your customers enjoy being asked! So, now is the time to ask some questions, listen to the responses and do something about it. What have you got to lose?
