Talking to Your Customers — Getting Started & the Questions You Should Ask

As I’ve emphasized in the previous section, your most powerful headlines, sales pitches and closing arguments will come right from your own customers. So let’s get started...

First, you need a list of customers to call. I recommend you complete a minimum of 20 calls. Consequently, you’ll need three to five times that amount to start with, maybe 100 names. Your database manager should be able to handle such a request. Start with those customers for whom you already have phone numbers. If you don’t have phone numbers on your database, it’s no problem. For a small project like this, have an administrative person call directory assistance or use Internet services to obtain numbers. There’s no need to send these few names to a service bureau to append phone numbers.

You should talk to customers that are very familiar with your products and promotions, so select those that you feel best fit this profile; possibly multi-buyers that you’ve had a relationship with for more than one year. If your objective is related to customer retention, verses response hot buttons, then talk to recent cancels or customers who have been unresponsive to any of your back-end offers. Try to avoid major bias in your sample by selecting customers in different parts of the country (if you market nationally), men and women (if you market to both), etc. Some overwhelming characteristics or demographic trends may not be apparent until after you’ve completed several interviews. If that’s the case, it may be necessary to go back and get more customers to call that share different characteristics, in order that you end up with a good mix.

Your next task is to prepare a script. You may think it will be a snap to ‘wing it’; after all, you know your business better than anyone and probably love to talk about it! WRONG! Eventually you will master this technique to the point that you will not have to prepare as much for your conversations, but for now, you need to maintain some structure and consistency with your approach. Also, by preparing a script and making individual copies for each of your customer contacts, you will have both a place to fill in each of their responses and to keep a record of each call, in case you need to call back.

The most important technique to master during your customer phone dialogues is your ability to probe further into the answers your customers give. The tendency for anyone responding to phone interview questions is to provide only simple, easy answers. The truly valuable breakthrough responses will only come after you’ve peeled away their initial reactions. Probe each answer a little further, even with some minor prompting. After you’re into the conversation and your customer is loosening up, try some moments of silence that your customer will feel obliged to fill, after their initial response to your question. Because this aspect of your dialogue is so critical, don’t feel bound by your script when a customer clearly has some good comments for you in one or two particular areas. Go with the flow! The depth of your conversation is far more important than its breadth.

Your customers will often expect you to solve a customer service problem for them. Don’t say that you can’t help them! Take down the information and assure them that you will personally make sure it gets taken care of. Now your customer will feel somewhat obligated to help you with your research.

Start with a friendly and disarming opening:

Good afternoon Mrs. Smith, this is Bob Jones from ABC Company. How are you today?

Great! Mrs. Smith the reason for my call today is simply to find out how [you like our products, we’re doing meeting your needs, we may be of better service to you, etc.] I assure you that I’m not going to try to sell you anything. In fact, I’m the Marketing Director for ‘widgets’ and, from time to time, I like to call customers like you just to get to know them better. Would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes?

If no, then...

Perhaps there’s a more convenient time for us to talk?

If still no, then terminate the call in a very friendly manner. You may want to give the customer your phone number or the customer service number for them to call if they ever have a problem, or would like to share any comments.

If yes, then proceed to ask specific questions about your products, services, promotions, etc. Of course, you need to tailor your questions to fit your situation. Here are some conversation starters...

Try to think back to when you sent for your widget. Do you remember ordering it?
Do you remember why you ordered it?
How did you plan to use it?
How often do you use your widget?
Have you ever purchased a similar product from another company?
What was it about our widget that seemed better than the other one you purchased?
Does your widget do what you expected it to do?

Again, I cannot stress enough that you will not get the breakthrough feedback you’re looking for if you just ask these kinds of questions. Each question must be followed up with further probing, for example ask:

Why do you feel that way?
Tell me more about what you were thinking then.
That’s good, can you think of anything else?
When you said ____, can you explain what you meant?

If you still aren’t getting anywhere, some prompting can help to jump-start your dialogue, for example:

Did you think about what you would do with the money if you won the sweepstakes?
Did you think you were getting a bargain when you sent for the widget?
What image do you have in your mind when you think about where your donation went? Were you feeling a little out of touch before you joined our association?

Now get started! The first few calls you make will feel awkward and you may even get hung up on, but don’t get discouraged! It will get easier, and even enjoyable, and before long you’ll wonder why you weren’t calling your customers all along. Also keep in mind the old baseball credo; “It only takes one”. You may complete your first 15 interviews before you connect with a gem of a customer that’s just bursting with great comments for you. Make it a point to keep in contact with your gems and think of them as your customer panel. Call them whenever you need some customer input and thank them for their help with a free product or a gift—they’re well worth keeping motivated! (Of course make sure that they understand that you’re looking for their honest opinion, including harsh criticism, if deserved—you’re not rewarding them for praising your efforts.)
 

Proceed to Chapter 3...