Mark Mikelat is a success expert for small businesses. From his 15+ years of consulting at Fortune 100 banks and major corporations such as Microsoft, Border Books, and IBM, Mark has discovered that people are people first and business leaders second. By implementing basic principles of respect, sincerity, and professionalism, you can grow you success.
He is business college faculty, and an author of multiple books. You can learn more about him at www.BuildingAspirations.com.
You need to know what you did well, and not so well. Success oriented business leaders appreciate the value of customer feedback. Ask your customers for their evaluation with simple, easy to fill-out evaluation cards. Using evaluation cards are a great small business growth strategy.
Customers will provide some valuable information if you can provide them quick and easy to use tools to collect this information. Evaluation cards are one of these great customer data collection tools.
These cards work well for all types of business models. If you were a brick and mortar store, you could put the evaluation cards next to the register. If you provide a service, include the card as part of your invoice process. Also, you can program a quick evaluation card into your ecommerce website.
The key is the design of the card. Ask for some very basic information and provide your customers an opportunity to explain. Customers appreciate the opportunity to express their opinion. If you only provide them poor, acceptable, good, and excellent check boxes for their evaluation, you are ignoring their opinion, the most valuable piece of information.
Let me share an example from my experience as a consumer. My car repair shop had an evaluation card. On my card I suggested that they add a soda machine to their wait lobby. I thought that if people were waiting an hour or so for their car to be repaired, they might appreciate the opportunity to purchase a soda. This idea is especially valuable because it was one that would provide value to waiting customers and additional revenue to the repair shop. Upon my next visit, they had a soda machine in their lobby.
In essence, the evaluation card encourages and invites customers to help you do your work. They are doing the marketing research for you. Encourage your customers to participate, but not in a heavy-handed way. You can add a contest or some other promotional aspect to this if you feel the need to, but often people just appreciate being asked their opinion.
Evaluation cards are a simple, yet powerful way to grow your small business.
Could you use more tips like this to accelerate the growth of your small business? Achievement thinking is a powerful concept that Mark Mikelat, the founder of Building Aspirations, www.BuildingAspirations.com, uses to coach his small business clients to double or even triple the size of their businesses. You can learn more and take advantage of a free strategic analysis at http://www.BuildingAspirations.com/BusinessSuccess.html. Also, you can view his books on Amazon.com.
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