Getting business ideas from your customers

Getting business ideas from your customers

Brainstorming for new business ideas is not easy. You or your employees might come up with a lot of ideas, but ultimately very few may be truly feasible.

 

One option to consider is to ask your customers to help you brainstorm! That’s right – your customers! You can’t ask your customers to do your homework or to spend their valuable time helping you for free. However, you can create tools on your website or at your business site inviting customers to give you their thoughts and suggestions on how you can provide them with better services.

 

Here are a few suggestions on how you can empower your customers to give you suggestions and business ideas:

 

• Create a Web Tool
  The easiest place to start is to create a special page or link on one of your current web pages to invite customer suggestions. Make sure the page or link is somewhere prominent and is easy to find and use.
  
  

• Put a positive spin on it
  Don’t make the customer feel they are doing you a favor. Instead, tell the customer that you are inviting suggestions to improve your services to them. Make them feel that they are winning by sharing their ideas.
  
  

• Not all suggestions will be good
  Don’t worry about it. The more suggestions you get, the greater the chance of getting one or two decent suggestions. The key is to make sure you acknowledge those customers who give suggestions (even with an auto reply email) to thank them for their time. This will encourage them to give you more suggestions in the future.
  
  

• If a customer gives you a great suggestion Tell the customer. Email or call them. Tell them that their suggestion was great and was appreciated. Most people like appreciation and feel valued when their ideas are viewed positively.
  

 

Sabra Easterday
Founder and managing member of MatchB2B, LLC
Bid Online TO Hire Business Services

 

Copyright (c) 2010, All Rights Reserved

  Jan 4, 2010 03:18:16
 Posted for: Business Online