Sales Plus Profit writes:
As part of this review we always try and make sure some time and focus is spent meeting, or at least talking to, existing clients about how they perceive the company and how they rate their products and services.
We all work at a high pace these days, and with very few signs of this slowing down, we need to know that when we invest time as well as money, it is invested in the right areas.
With that in mind its vitally important to speak to the people who already buy from you and to value and respect their opinions. As an independent party to the relationship we have the benefit of being able to ask some of the more awkward questions that you or your team typically won’t ask on a regular basis, such as;
- How do you rate the value of the products and services provided?
- How informed are you as a client and how organised do you think are they?
- How important to your own success is the relationship?
- Are there better suppliers of the products and services available?
- If you were to go to market again today would you still buy them?
- Do you think that the relationships represents value for money?
All of these types of questions give you an insight as to how you and the products/services you provide are perceived and viewed in the market.
One key point to make in this process is make sure you listen and digest the feedback and don’t dismiss comments out of hand. Examples of this could be; ‘The product and services were overpriced and we felt the services was poor.’
It’s very easy to be dismissive by thinking ‘yes but they moan about everything’ or ‘they never value or thank us for what we do.’
What it could be saying to you is ‘you’re not as good as you think,’ it could also be saying ‘you’re not showing me the value clearly enough,’ but it could also be saying to you ‘stop wasting time with this type of client as they are not your target market!’
The fantastic news is that some of our most recent interviews have provided some of the best feedback that we’ve ever witnessed. So for the companies involved who probably know who they are – well done and we’re delighted to be working with you.
The next time you’re discussing what you think and what your colleagues think about certain things why not pause and think about speaking to your client to get the ‘real’ picture.
They might tell you things that you don’t want to hear but they may also provide you with market clarity that could otherwise cost you a fortune to find out through failed marketing.
We once had the feedback:
‘I think they’re fantastic but I don’t think they charge enough for what they do.’
Now that’s where you want to be!
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