Starting up a business takes a certain type of person I feel. One that can take on any challenge that is put there way. Someone with faith, passion and belief in their product or what they do. Having a solution to any problem and knowing exactly how to grow their business. An entrepreneur is quite a common term used today, but I feel that a truly inspirational business leader can be rare. You may be fooled into thinking that the setting up of a business is the toughest part of the job. There is no denying that setting up a business, deriving a business plan and having the funding and tenacity to put it into action takes guts, determination and ambition. But, that essentially can be the easiest point.
You may be wondering what angle I am going with this. Starting a business is easy, keeping the business running and growing it correctly with the right level of profit and expenditure is the toughest part of the job. No one can predict how well you are going to do from one day to the next. Only you can be proactive when it comes to advertising and marketing campaigns. However, there is one forgotten element of business growth that I feel many businesses need to delve into. That is your customer. How well do you really know your customers or clients? Do you know your ideal type of customer? Do you know how long it takes your potential customer to get from deciding to purchase to actually making that purchase? Do you know what factors are taken into account when deciding on whether they want to do business with you is the right thing to do? How satisfied are they with their purchase or the service they received from your business? The answers to these questions are extremely valuable and can be the ticket to helping you improve, increase sales which overall helps the business grow. With that in mind, here are some of the ways you can get to know your customer better.
Do you analyze customer habits on your website?
Many things are done online these days, so there is no surprise that much of the sales your business does could come through your online platform or eCommerce store. That being said, there is a wealth of information that many people don’t take advantage that can be captured from your website. Did you know that at least 60% to 70% out of every 100 customers that could visit your site abandon their shopping cart before completing the purchase? You may have worked incredibly hard for them to have found your website in the first place from strategic SEO to a solid marketing campaign. So why after all that effort do they leave? The information could be found on the clicks on your website. At what point do they leave? Is it when a postage cost or add-on fee is applied? Is it because the website is slow at loading up? Other factors you can find out are the bounce rate and how long someone browses your site. This could determine whether you have an easy to use site and whether the right level of information is on there. All of this information can be analysed enabling you to better perform in the future.
Have you asked for feedback or a critique?
Maybe you need to focus on the customer experience. Have you ever thought of asking for feedback? Asking the question could give you some great feedback on how good the service was, but it could also highlight areas that need addressing. A customer who has had a bad experience is more likely to describe that to friends and family than someone who has had a good experience. So it’s vital to find out this information before it starts to impact your business. There are few ways you could do this. You could send an email after the transaction has completed, maybe with a link to a review site or even using a customer satisfaction survey template examples and sample questions to obtain the right sort of information you want. You could telephone the customer and ask for feedback verbally. Or even send a letter in the post. Often the information you pick up can help you improve in many different ways, big and small.
Could focus groups be a helping hand?
Finally, focus groups are a great way to gain constructive feedback. Either on a website, a service or even a product. Most of the time these sorts of activities take place before something is launched, so that any feedback received good and bad, can be constructive and used before it comes in front of the general public. Much like surveys and communication can, these sorts of specific groups can be very beneficial.
I hope that these options help you get to know your customer better, enabling your business to improve.
