5 Ways to Get Good Client Information

Good client information can help a business grow and expand but sometimes getting that information can be difficult. Here are 5 methods of getting information you need from current customers.

The first is a no brainer.....a-s-k! This means simply asking customer point blank how they feel about your product or service and them if they would recommend your business to a friend. But,even though this seems easy, it requires more than right words. Often people will tell you what you want to hear to avoid confrontation or feeling uneasy. Your body language and tone of voice may have a tremendous impact on their willingness to give up some quality marketing information.

These are some ways to express your sincerity and get information you need.

1) make eye contact and hold it...not a hard stare but look at them when they are talking. 2) Tell why you want information. "I was wondering if there is something you think we could do to improve. Can you just think for a minute or two...is there a product or service we could offer that would make things easier or better, when you do business with us?" Even if they tell you everything is fine ask them to give you a scale rating 1-10, 10 being best. If score is less than ten ask them why its not a ten...tell them a ten rating is your goal and ask them how they think you could achieve that. When you let them now that you are trying to meet personal high standards they will tend to try to help you reach your goal. 3) If applicable mention your competition and ask them if price was better at competition would they leave you. Comparing yourself to competition in a boastful manner is expected....resist temptation to begin bragging. People feel that if you are already convinced your better than competition, then their input is a waste. Whatever answer, yes or no, follow up with a why, what, or how question. Sometimes you will find that they don't know you offer a product or service that sets you apart from competition ( you do....don't you??) This is a great time just to let them know why you are different from competition. It is very important that this is done without bragging and boasting. Questions are better than statements. For example, "Did you know that we can deliver?" rather than ..."Well,Company X doesn't deliver! We do!"

Taking E-mail marketing to the next level

Many types of Internet advertising don't work as well as they once did. People have gotten used to banners and don't click on them. Some ezines have failed to keep their readers' interest and ads sometimes get less response. Search engines are overflowing with submissions. Getting your site listed high is almost impossible. More and more businesses and organizations are now turning to email marketing to keep profits rolling in. While an increasing number of people say they rarely surf Net, vast majority of North Americans check their email every day. Email marketing is most effective and efficient way to influence purchases and keep customers informed and happy. It is also extremely inexpensive. Where you might have mailed out one printed customer update every month, you can now email one every week for a fraction of cost. Increasingly, companies need to embrace email marketing in a big way in order to stay competitive. Those who formerly used a service to send out their newsletters, sales info, and consumer updates are now doing all emailing themselves. New technology that is powerful yet easy to use allows anyone to handle email jobs that previously required expensive professional help. Many companies are bringing their email campaigns in house in order to have more control, grow their email efforts, and decrease costs. Here are four features you will want to use in your email marketing efforts: