Why Businesses Should Ask For Feedback

Seth Godin’s recent post “This Must Be Hard” hit a nerve with me today.  It’s a brief but important post about asking your customers for feedback.  Don’t overlook the subtle point he makes about “one caring person just asking”.  This is about the relationship between you and your customer.  It’s the personal side of your business.

Actually, it’s been on my mind for quite some time now.  I’d dare say that fewer than 2% of business people make the effort to initiate meaningful conversations with their customers to get feedback on how they’re doing.  The scary part is, by not asking, you don’t know what you’re missing.

What are the benefits of asking?

• It shows that you care
• You know (vs. guess) how your customers feel about your service
• You get the opportunity to recover from things that may have gone wrong
• You know what you’re doing well
• You can pinpoint processes that may be broken
• You get factual information to use
• You’ll get a good idea about what your customers tell other people
• You get the chance to strengthen your connection

What else would you add to the benefits of asking?

Why would you prefer to guess what your customers are thinking when you can know the facts? 

If it’s too hard, as Seth implies, get someone to do it for you.  I’m happy to help.