The following aren’t necessarily in the order of importance, but if all are implemented you can’t help but succeed.  Next to each To-Do is a link for more information:

1. Create Data Base of your clients.  You need all pertinent data like name, address, email, spouse’s name, birthday for them and their spouse, and whatever data you need.  I would also get the data of every family member.  http://www.kenvarga.com/news/a-method-to-collect-information-to-create-your-customer-database/

2. If possible, connect with your customer/clients weekly. 

3. Dominate your market by becoming the expert that everyone goes to when they need what you offer.  http://www.kenvarga.com/news/dominate-your-market/

4. Do Special Events.  IE:    "Give A Little And Get A Lot— how this simple principle can cause a crowd of people to market your business to the world!  http://www.aweber.com/b/1Bvci

5. If possible, do a 30-minute radio talk show in your local area.  In it, address the pain the listeners are in and how you are able to help them.  http://www.aweber.com/b/1LBOq

6. Each time a customer buys from you, put the transaction in your data base and have an employee call to thank the purchaser for being your customer.  Ask the customer: “Why do you purchase from us and not our competition.” They will give you information that you can use to create more customers. 

7. Create a Referral System where you bring your customer/client from being a customer to becoming an advocate of your business.  http://www.kenvarga.com/news/growing-through-referrals/

8. Make sure your advertising is responsive and measurable.  Create a free report.  http://www.aweber.com/b/1Q_wC

9. Upsell.  Create a package of your products and offer them to your customers as a package.  http://www.kenvarga.com/news/promotions-you-can-take-to-the-bank/

10. Inspect what you expect.  I used to call my own office to make sure my people answered the way they were taught.  http://www.kenvarga.com/news/inspect-what-you-expect/

Technorati Tags: database creation, dominate market, free report, measure advertising, referral system, special events, upsell

I was just thinking about why Coke made the decisions they made when they took the old Coke off the market and created New Coke; it turned out to be a disaster.

I googled Coke and found out some interesting information that I feel pertains to all of us who are in business.

In the early 1980’s Coke was the dominant soft drink in the world.  Then along came Pepsi with their Pepsi Challenge, in which they had groups of individuals sipping a sample of Coke and a sample of Pepsi.  When asked to choose between Coke and Pepsi, the majority chose Pepsi.

Coke then did their own blind study and found the same thing.  When it came to a sipping challenge, the majority chose Pepsi. 
So what did Coke do?  It took their best seller off the market and created New Coke.  What a disaster.  You probably remember it.  

They made New Coke sweeter because Pepsi was sweeter.
Following their error of judgment, they listened to their customers and reintroduced the old Coke back as Classic Coke. 

Here is what Coke didn’t realize about the taste test…the test was just a sip test.  Tasters don’t drink the entire can.  They just take a sip from each of the brands, or as in the Pepsi and Coke example, a sip from each, then make their choice.

When Coke did the test differently, where they allowed the taster to finish the can, they found that the majority chose Coke over Pepsi.
Pepsi happened to be a drink that shines in a sip test.  Does this mean that Pepsi mislead people?

I don’t think so.  It just means that people have two different reactions to colas, depending on the type of test.

Think about how this might apply to your business.

Also, the color of a product makes a big difference.  I remember reading a while ago, that Margarine was originally white in color.  When they changed it to yellow, people accepted it more because it looked like butter.

Just a few examples for you to consider when you are getting feedback from your customers.

Technorati Tags: customer feedback, focus groups, surveys

In today’s economy, it is critical to know what your Customer’s really want, because you can go off in a direction that could be wrong.

As businesses individuals, we all think we know what our customers or clients really want.  Unfortunately, what we think they want isn’t necessarily what they really want.  In fact I have a chapter in my book, “How to Get Customers to Call, Buy and Beg for More,” about how to get your customers to tell you what they want and how they want to receive it.

With the Economic situation being what it is today, it is very important that you know this, because you could be misdirecting your Budget in an area that won’t be productive for your growth and profits.

I’m always mentioning in my Weekly Tips the importance of collecting your customers email address.  It is the most cost-effective way that you have to communicate with your customers and clients.

You can do a mailing with a few questions.  One of the most effective methods I know of to gather information from your customers is to utilize an online survey service such as “SurveyGizmo”, SurveyMonkey, etc. that will help you track and analyze your results.

As in all types of surveys, make sure that you include some open-ended questions and also be careful how you word the questions so that you don’t influence how they answer the question.

I have found that whenever I do a survey, one of the questions I always ask is, “What are the problems and/or issues you are having, and what would you suggest I do to help you solve your problem?”

Again, we go thru periods where we ASSUME that we know what our customers and clients want, only to find out that we were going in one direction and our customers in another.  With a system set up where you are in constant communication with your customers, you can be on target and know their needs and wants consistently.

So if there is anything you want (no matter how wild) that I have not been giving you, let me know by leaving a comment in the "Comments" box below, or send me an email at ken@kenvarga.com .

Technorati Tags: customer survey, customer surveys, Growing your business