3 Killer Customer Questions, PLUS: My Super-Secret 1-on-1 Consulting, Coming to Kansas next week, and October Events

Jul 29, 2014 | Destination BootCamp, General, Small Business Success

The 3 Most Important Questions to Ask Every Customer

When I’m traveling to consult with my clients in their businesses, it means eating in places that I wouldn’t normally eat. Last week I spent two days consulting with a new client in Mississippi, and on the way, I grabbed a bite in a fast food restaurant as I traveled to her retail store.

In this restaurant, I ordered a submarine sandwich, and I stood there and watched as 9 people took their time NOT fixing the sandwich. They all looked remarkably busy, walking around and talking to each other. The problem wasn’t their work ethic.  It was that no one seemed to be assigned to the task of actually fixing the food for a customer.

When I asked how my sandwich was coming, the person at the register would calmly reply “They’re making it”, yet there was no sign of activity behind her.

When I finally got my food, it was quite ironic that at the table, there was a complaint card waiting for me, with a host of questions about my meal.  The questions ranged from:

How was the service?
How was the temperature of the food?
Were the restrooms clean?

I looked at the list of questions and what was missing were the 3 most important questions that you have to ask a customer, if you really want to keep that customer coming back.

The 3 most important questions you must ask every customer who has spent money in your business are these:

  1. You just spent money with us. Would you come back?
  2. Why or why not?
  3. What would you tell a friend about our business?

Ever other question is extraneous!  You will learn more from these 3 than any other questions.

Apply this to your business: Do you have any feedback sheets where you can learn your customers true feelings about your business?  And if you do, are you asking these questions?  Have you created a mechanism for customers to give their honest feedback and talk behind your back?  If you haven’t, don’t expect honest responses.

The final step: Once you get honest feedback, take it to heart and make changes!  This is how you’ll get customers returning again and again!

My Super-Secret 1-on-1 Consulting

Last week, when I mentioned to a colleague that I was consulting 1-on-1 with a client in Mississippi, he said to me: “I didn’t know that you did that with business owners.”

That comment made it obvious to me that I haven’t done a good enough job explaining to the world what a Destination Business consultant does.

Yes, I consult with individual business owners, often in their location. It’s not supposed to be a secret!

If you would like to learn more about how I can consult 1-on-1 with you about your business, just click on these words and complete this form and I will personally contact you to discuss your business challenges and your consultation options.

If You are in Kansas or Nebraska next Tuesday, August 5, head to Norton!

Next week, Norton Kansas is opening up registrations to my workshop on Tuesday, August 5.  This was a closed workshop, and they have room now for outside attendees!  Don’t miss this opportunity! If you’re within driving distance, come spend the day with me learning how to increase the sales and profits of your business.  If you’d like to attend, call 785-874-4816 or email [email protected]

 

Why You Should Attend Our Final Destination BootCamp of 2014 from 2 World-Class Retailers

We are 70 days away from our October 7-9 Destination Business BootCamp where you can learn my entire 14-step strategy to make your business a Destination.  You can read about all you’ll learn at my workshop by going to www.DestinationBootCamp.com, but it might be easier to let you read what two leading retailers in their fields said about our class after attending:

First, from Larry Edwards, the founder of The Light Center – Lighting Showroom in Fort Collins, Colorado:

“We came away from BootCamp with so many ideas to incorporate in our lighting store that made the experience invaluable…Personally, Jon’s workshop had an overriding theme to help retail owners develop a “self-sustaining” business that makes competitors no factor!  Too many areas to mention, but all subjects and examples of success stories were intoxicating.  Every hour was valuable and every subject thoroughly presented–clearly and with Jon’s unique humor. We endorse Jon’s Destination BootCamp without reservation!”

Second, from Gregg Curtis, owner of the Good Earth Garden Center in Little Rock, Arkansas:

“When I was first introduced to the idea of going to the Destination BootCamp, I thought, yeah maybe there were a few things I could learn and bring back to The Good Earth Garden Center…but most likely, not much since we had our stuff together.  After all, our business was winning all kinds of local awards, we had a solid team and we were growing.  We had a lot going for us and I was focused on those things, thinking we were doing it right.  As it turns out, I was immediately amazed at the opportunities we were missing!  When Jon mentioned other businesses and what they were doing and the opportunities that were being passed up, I realized we had been doing the same.  The BootCamp encouraged me to raise the bar; and I hadn’t been thinking we were below the bar!  

Take something as simple as our logo…I hadn’t thought much about changing it, it was getting the job done.  But during my first paradigm shifting moment, I started re-thinking how it could be utilized.  How something so simple could change the way our customers see us and how we see ourselves.  We now have a fresh, fun, and wearable logo, inducing sales on shirts, hats, water bottles and so much more.  When advertising was discussed, my thinking was shifted away from the traditional specials, sales and coupons to the wow factor.  That would not have happened without Destination BootCamp.  My eyes were opened to a whole world of re-invention…and this was just from the advertising part of the BootCamp.  

I learned that everyone wants to be a destination but I had the opportunity to creatively position my business to actually BE a destination through atmosphere, uniqueness, and attitude.  Without Destination BootCamp, we would not have gone from receiving local awards to national awards such as the Most Revolutionary Garden Center in the Nation as we did last year.  And if that isn’t eye-opening, what is?”

Our last BootCamp of the year almost always fills up early!  Don’t wait to register!  You can do that now by clicking here.

And come next year, I might be using one of your testimonials!

Until next week, everyone!

Jon Schallert

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