Customers are constantly speaking to your company. If the only time you are listening is when you personally meet with a customer or using an annual customer satisfaction survey, you are missing some key conversations!
Customers speak up with their money. You may be tracking sales as a financial activity, but also consider that a listening activity and an opportunity to figure out the deeper questions you should be asking your customers?
Customers speak volumes about you with referrals (or lack of referrals). Do you track referrals? Do you currently track your Net Promoter Score (NPS) or something similar? Your NPS score (see How It Works) and the trend of that score will also lead to good questions you should be asking yourself and your customers. Note: The beauty of NPS is the form – one question that you can ask in various customer interaction opportunities.
Customers are more than willing to provide insights to a company that provides value. Have employees use regular customer interactions to ask customers if you can do more for them, if you are meeting their needs, etc. Perhaps form a customer advisory group. For the cost of a quarterly (or semi-annually) light breakfast or lunch, you can hear input from a cross-section of your customers, ask them specific questions, and use that opportunity to dig into what you hear to create new value for both you and your customers.
Employees are also rich sources of customer views. Ask your employees what your customers want/need, or what customers are saying. Trust that your employees know your customers.
Don’t fall into a “selective hearing” trap that plagues many entrepreneurs/business owners. It’s so easy to get lost in running your business and allow your customers views to stagnate. Don’t let that happen!
