Don't assume you know what your customers want

As a personal promotion marketing specialist, I'm often asked, "How can I work smarter and not harder? How do I make MY phone ring with customers wanting to buy my..."

I was brought up in an entrepreneurial family. My grandmother had a cafe, our family had two movie theaters, and my brother had a high-end restaurant. My first job at age 4 was opening the bottles of pop at the theater or grandma's cafe. Marketing and customer service really were dinner table conversations in our house.

A successful business follows some pretty basic rules. One of those rules is that the business needs to offer a product or service that its customers actually want. It doesn't matter if you are a Realtor, a massage therapist, a website designer or a artist: knowing what your customers want can make or break your business. Here are some tips to take the guesswork out of what your customer really needs.

My dad's office was upstairs above the Aggie Theater marquee. He had a little poster on the back of his office door. When the door was opened, no one saw the sign. When the door was closed, HE saw the sign. It was his daily reminder:

"When you assume anything about our customers, you run the risk of making an ASS out of U and ME"

Here is a tip so YOU don't run that risk! A little informal research is better than nothing. People love to be asked what they think. Not only will you get valuable feedback about your product or service, but you will bond them to you. Market research isn't difficult, but it is necessary.

1) Yes, just ask!
Every time you talk to a client, before you say goodbye, ask them, "What am I doing right?" And then sit there SILENTLY and listen. Then ask, " Is there anything I need to do better?" Again, just LISTEN. Don't take the feedback personally; don't take offense. It's just business. Don't argue or try to justify or explain. JUST LISTEN and take good notes! Thank the person for their honest feedback and tell them you value your feedback and will use it to make positive changes. Swallow hard and then DO IT!

2) Surveys
If you send out emails using an internet service or website, you can subscribe to their survey service. They have templates for everything from products, services and events. You probably won't get a large response, but the information you get will be worth its weight in gold.

3) Focus Groups
A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people is asked about their attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members. It's easy to set up your own focus group. Invite a dozen people whose opinions are valuable to you: current and/or past customers, demographic groups you want to do biz with, and so forth. Send out invitations for a lunch at a nice restaurant several weeks in advance. There is such a thing as a free lunch, and YOU are buying it! Be serious and efficient. Ask no more than 10 questions and take good notes!

This topic is much more complex than the three simple tips you've read here. These tips are meant to get you thinking. Just because YOU think you have a GR8 idea for a new product or service, it won't be of any value unless your customer thinks it's a GR8 idea, too!

Women in Business Supporting Women in Sports Careers

I was on the field at Dick's Sports Stadium in Denver last night as one of four women honored during the 3rd Annual Women's Soccer Celebration. I had been nominated by an amazing woman, Amy Snider, founder and CEO of the Colorado Force Professional Women's Soccer Team. It was half-time in the game between the Colorado Force and the NJ/NY Sky Blue, and the stands were filled with fans of women's soccer. Amazing.

I was struck by how far women have come in sports. The women of the Colorado Force were making a career, earning a living, playing a game they loved. Awesome.

But it made me remember back to when I had just started my senior year at Colorado State University. All the buzz was about how a 20-year old woman, Katherine Switzer, had tried to run in the Boston Marathon. It was 1967, and you see, women were not allowed to enter that prestigious race. Katherine didn't try to hide her gender, but the race application didn't ask. In those days, it was assumed that everyone entering the grueling race was a man.

About three miles into the race, the press truck caught up to Katherine . When the photographers noticed a woman in the race with an official number, a race official jumped off the truck and ran at Katherine in an attempt to tear off her number. The official was heard to shout, "Get the H---- out of my race...you're in a lot of trouble."

Katherine managed to finish the race, and word spread like wildfire. I was stunned. They tried to pull her off the course because she was a woman?

Women from all walks of life across the country voiced their protests, but it was not until 1972, the same year that Title IX was passed, that a woman could officially enter the Boston Marathon.

As I stood on the field at Dick's, I realized that hundreds of women like Katherine Switzer broke the rules, defied authority, lobbied, pleaded, and pounded on desks to get those "No Trespassing" signed ripped away from the world of amateur and professional sports. The fight's not over: Amy Snider worked for 14 years to make the Colorado Force a viable professional team. But I was filled with hope. Progress is slow but it is happening. I am so proud that little girls in the stands might actually achieve their dream to be on the field some day, being paid to play a game they love. Wow, Katherine Switzer, did you have any idea what your were starting?