How To Use a Contact List Profitably

In previous articles, we discussed the generation of a contact  list. This time, we look at one idea on what to do with that  list once you have it.  The Survey 

 Your contact list can be used as a great source of information,  especially about the importance and need of specific products  or services. This type of survey is most effective when asking  what are called "probing" questions- questions that cannot be  answered by "yes" or "no". Useful questions to ask include: 

 1. The "Who are you?" series of questions. This includes the  name of the company, the name of the contact, address, phone  number, email, fax, web page, etc. Use this part of the survey  to update customer records. 

 2. The "How often do you buy product type A? B? C?" questions.  These questions are used to determine customer needs. It can  help flush out a "niche" that is currently not being serviced to  capacity by yourself or your competitors. 

 3. The  "How often do you shop at business type A? B? C?".  These questions can be used to determine client buying habits.  They are helpful in determining whether your product/service  should be available to purchase through a large store or whether  you should be providing on-site visits. 

 4. The "Why WOULDN'T you do business with any firm supplying  this product or service?" questions. This is RARELY seen on a  survey, but the information can be very valuable in determining  how to capture more of a certain market. If a client would  rather pay by credit card but that option is not yet available,  it is important to know that. 

 You can also use a survey to judge customer satisfaction. Again  , the use of probing questions is more helpful than only yes or  no answers. 

 1. The "How satisfied are you with current services" questions.  Included here are questions about the ease of use, about  customer service, and about the usefulness of the  product/service. 

 2. The "How frequently they use each service and their priority  services" questions. These are useful in determining which  products/services are the most important to clients and WHY.  Although the sales figures can tell you WHAT sold the most, the  reasons WHY it did can surprise you. 

 3. The "What other products/services should be offered"  questions. These are obviously used to determine future needs  and company growth ideas. 

 4. The "Are there any issues in which the organization should  be involved to assist their clients?" questions. These will  elicit general customer service responses which can streamline  everything from the billing department to the quality of  products/services- and everything in between. 

 And finally, a survey can be conducted of people who have  discontinued their service/purchases. This survey is similar to  the "exit interview" done years ago by companies when employees  resigned. This is to ascertain if there is a consistency for  dropping out. Use the: 
 

 1. "What did you like and why?" questions. 

 2. "What didn't you like and why" questions. 

 3. "What would you do differently" questions. 
 

 Surveys can be done by phone or mail successfully. They can be  anonymous or contain lost of contact information. They are an  invaluable tool for gathering information that leads to sales.  AND they are a GREAT tool to use to target market and develop  strong business relationships. 
 

 Nancy Roebke, is the Executive Director of Profnet Inc, a  professional business leads generation corporation. We bring  business professionals together in a non-competitive  environment to help each other make more money. 

 mailto:execdirector@profnet.org      http://www.profnet.org 

 Copyright  Nancy Roebke 

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