{"id":234,"date":"2012-07-10T16:59:36","date_gmt":"2012-07-10T16:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=234"},"modified":"2012-07-10T16:59:36","modified_gmt":"2012-07-10T16:59:36","slug":"dont-guess-what-your-customers-want-ask-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/dont-guess-what-your-customers-want-ask-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t guess what your customers want — ask them"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the early 1980s when legendary American businessman Victor Kiam faced the camera and said, \u201cI liked the shaver so much, I bought the company,\u2019 he and Remington became instant household names. \u00a0No mere advertising gimmick, Kiam, who made his fortune as Remington CEO, truly was impressed with the electric shaver his wife had given him.<\/p>\n

Victor Kiam\u2019s belief in his product was inspiring yet his real success was in understanding what the customer wanted. \u00a0He bought competitive electric shavers and conducted his own comparison tests to satisfy himself that Remington had the best product on the market. He knew that it didn\u2019t matter what the company had to offer; it mattered what the customer wanted to buy. He understood that he may have been selling a razor, but his customers were buying a smooth shave.<\/p>\n

As a small business owner, you may feel you can\u2019t afford to invest in research before you develop and introduce a new product or offer a service, but failure to do so can be far more costly. Who doesn\u2019t remember a product that launched to a great deal of fanfare and promise only to fade quickly into obscurity? The problem could be market timing, the economy or poor execution. It also could be a failure to understand what customers really want and will pay for.<\/p>\n

Consider an online survey<\/p>\n

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Plantronics Small Business Survey<\/p><\/div>\n

Today, we talk a lot about the value of social media to have an ongoing conversation with customers. There are many examples of companies that have collaborated with customers via social media to determine what new product features or functionality they should provide. Still there\u2019s a disadvantage or limitation with social media since feedback generally comes from those \u2018friends or followers\u2019 who have a strong emotional connection to your product.<\/p>\n

What you want is communication with customers that allows for honest input. In this regard, online surveys can be very useful since they enable anonymous feedback, which may encourage customers or prospects to be more forthcoming. They can identify weaknesses or strengths in your strategy and processes. The good news is that there are many options for online surveys and they are both easy to launch on your own and cost effective.<\/p>\n

Ensure your survey gets results<\/p>\n

Here are some guidelines to ensure your surveys get you what you need:<\/p>\n