by Tatiana Velitchkov
Running a successful business doesn't simply involve selling It also means knowing exactly how your clients feel about The beauty of the Internet is that it makes this necessary So why are many companies still in the dark about what their If you're the kind of business owner who wants his current 1) Polls / Surveys Most people want their opinions to count. That's why most You can use this to your advantage by using polls & surveys When conducting any kind of poll online, just remember 3 1. Make it QUICK. Keep in mind that your surfer has other things to do 2. Make it CONVENIENT. Create drop down menus or radio buttons for your surfer 3. Make it WORTHWHILE. If you want the most number of feedback in the shortest If you have 1,000 prospective voters, for example, you Just make sure you have all the contest rules clearly 2) Message Boards Message boards hold their own appeal for surfers truly When moderated properly & promoted regularly, they can - share their knowledge & opinions Although some clients with tight surfing schedules find - stimulating dynamic discussions in your board by - regularly telling your casual surfers about the hottest - and directly asking people to offer their own insights, 3) Mailing List The mailing list is very similar to the message board, in Just like the message board, however, there are 3 secrets 1. Keep all discussions FOCUSED on the same general Often, your own members' posts will be enough to keep 2. Allow members to mention your COMPETITION'S products These posts will give you valuable insights for 3. Finally, remain VISIBLE in your own message board or Give helpful comments, offer positive feedback, and 4) Chat Event If you're just starting your own business, however, you What you CAN do is promote & hold a regular chat event on To make each chat event worthwhile, remember to: - Focus on a specific topic, preferably something your - Set a definite schedule and time limit. Be aware of - Promote the event well in advance. Tell as many - Give everyone clear & concise directions on how they Minimize their chances for getting errors or getting 5) Feedback Forms Of course, the feedback collection process won't be Although these forms are common, not all of them work as To set up the kind of form that's easy to send & easy to
or providing a great product or service.
your current offerings, so you can change the way you do
things and better serve their needs.
feedback mechanism more speedy & convenient for both the
business owner and the surfer -- especially when conducted
over a dynamic business website.
customers REALLY want, and end up saying goodbye before they
can even ask why?
clients to stay, then consider these 5 strategies for
getting their valuable insights & feedback... while
endearing yourself to them as someone who actually listens
and cares:
surfers are inclined to cast their votes whenever a website
politely asks them to.
to know your potential clients' preferences, particularly
when it comes to your products & services.
things:
(like fill out your order form), so limit most polls to
just one question each.
to click on, so they won't have to waste time typing in
the whole answer.
possible time, offer a prize for specific "lucky voters,"
within the range of respondents that you expect for your
survey.
can award voter number 500 with your premium service
package at half the price, and grant voter number 1,000
the entire package for free!
stated before you ask for their votes... or they might
vote against you & your business forever.
interested in the topics your website usually covers.
become "virtual hangouts" where people:
- offer advice / ask for help
- or simply meet other people with the same interests.
that "having to go online and visit a specific URL" is
rather taxing, you can make the idea more attractive by:
raising current & compelling issues
ongoing debates & topics in the forum
while providing an easy-to-click link or URL.
that it encourages discussions among your clients &
would-be clients. The only difference is that everything
here is done through email, and members aren't required to
go online to interact.
to effectively using mailing lists to gain useful feedback:
topic -- preferably the field/industry you're doing
business in.
you updated about the major issues that affect your
business, saving you time and money on reading and
research.
& services; let them even make personal comparisons.
improving YOUR OWN products & services... and how you
can convince even your competition's clients to change
their minds and trust YOU.
discussion list.
praise every real effort made by members to share what
they know. This is your chance to establish a real,
ongoing relationship with the people who frequent your
website... and turn most of them into friends, or
clients or (if you're lucky) both.
probably won't have the time to manage a message board or
mailing list just yet.
your site each month, inviting both regular and potential
clients alike.
surfers will be very interested in.
the time differences among your surfers, and try to
set a schedule that is convenient for everyone.
people about it as you can (just make sure your
servers can handle them). And finally -
can participate.
lost during the event, so they can focus on what they
want to say -- which is exactly the kind of feedback
you need.
complete without the familiar online form.
well most business owners need them to.
reply to, observe the following DOs & DON'Ts:
- DON'T just invite them to send all queries & requests - DO create a drop-down menu for the "Recipient" field - DON'T just use a generic form mailer for your "contact - DO use a drop-down menu for the "Subject" field, Aside from helping your client/surfer focus his reason The truth is, feedback is important not only in business, Some feedback will be good, and some of it will be bad. But the important thing to look forward to is that feedback © Tatiana Velitchkov About the Author
to the same email address.
listing the different departments in your company, so
each email will be instantly routed to the right person
or mailbox.
us" page.
listing the most common reasons people have for wanting
to email you.
for contacting you, it also helps you categorize each
request quickly so you can deal with each batch of
email more promptly.
but also in our dreams, and our everyday lives.
Some will encourage us, some might crush us, and some might
even have the chance to totally disillusion us.
will always CHANGE us... and WE decide if we're going to be
better because of it.
Tatiana is the publisher of: www.TheFortunesEzine.com,
the FortunesEzineWeekly at www.TakeYourFortune.com,
and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising
sites www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and www.Guaranteed-Hits.net