Bradley H. Smith >

My success with cold-call (online) surveys

Without exaggeration, I have surveyed tens of thousands of hard-to-get-to people, and I have had fair success. 

Here is my tried and true workflow.

• Write a research statement to establish what you need to learn.
• Develop a hypothesis on what you think you might learn. Example: Shareholders don’t read management biographies.
• Identify the target recipients.
• Decide on the survey format that will best engage your taregets — online, phone, mail, in-person, etc.
• Plan the questions and their flow.
• Consider question order and possible order bias.
  • Diagram questions in a flow chart to see the logic.
  • Keep like questions together.
  • Start with non-threatening items.
  • Don’t make your questionnaire too long.
  • Start with general questions and then go to specifics.
  • Reverse scale order in some items to eliminate habitual responses.
  • Ask demographic questions last. They can be considered threatening.
•   Write the non-threatening questions.
  • Use closed-ended responses (Yes/No or 1, 2 or 3) for responses that tabulate quickly.
  • Use open-ended responses to get a range of data and bring up ideas you had overlooked.
  • Make questions and responses specific.
  • Use terms everyone can understand; avoid jargon.
• Write the threatening (embarrassing) questions.
  • Create an environment that lets people comfortably respond.
  • Prefer open-ended items that let people decide how to respond.
  • Include necessary qualifiers and context in questions.
  • Phrase your question in terms of “most people you know.” People are usually more willing to talk about others than themselves.
  • Ask about past behavior before you ask about present behavior.
• Write questions that test knowledge
  • Don’t make the questionnaire seem like a test.
  • Simplify questions and answers.
  • Leave questions with numerical answers open-ended.
  • If you ask yes/no questions, use related questions later to double-check responses.
• Write opinion questions.
  • Be very specific.
  • Use closed-ended responses.
  • Gauge the strength of responses by providing a response scale aka “1-10… how important is this issue to you?”
  • Start with general questions and then move to specific
  • Group questions with the same underlying values.
• Write questions so answers will be easy to tabulate.
• Format the questionnaire.
• Test the survey with people who know about the study. Adjust.
• Conduct a pilot test with a small number of people from the target. Adjust.
• Launch the survey to the complete target.

There are other tactics, of course. My results are only worth mentioning as I gave away NO participation "bribes or rewards" and many on the targets were just "names on a list." Yeah.  I spammed them.

Carefully. 

You want to save something? Save jobs (not trees) by generating revenue. Use email real estate to promote a special campaign.

The little greenwashing bit in email signatures is very tired (so...like...last decade) and has become invisable noise. Except for lawyers, who prints emails UNLESS it is essential for a paper record?

Every email your company sends is "marketing media." Use it as such. 

 

I really don't know how this fad even started. I always deemed it as pure greenwashing.  

When errors happen, do you look to blame or look for solutions?

Errors WILL happen on client accounts. Here are next steps.

1.) Listen to them vent.

2.) Apologize and admit responsibility.

3.) Solve the problem.

Once the problem is solved, then work on "don't let this happen again" resolutions.  The anger from the client is distracting enough. Don't compound the "problem solving" activities and panic employees with YOUR anger. 

 

More times than not, this will work.

Know the name of your first client. (And your most recent too.)

No matter how "complex" or "engineered” or "ROI metrics” your sales and marketing process is – bottomline… people buy from people.

 

This is our first Shareholder.com client. A true gentleman, I asked him to ( and he did!) write a “congratulatory” to our Founder at our 15th corporate anniversary. THAT'S ROI.

Stop shouting into the speaker phone. ESPECIALLY ON CLIENT CALLS.

By instinct, we all tend to talk to loudly ( SHOUT! ) into speakerphones. Don’t…. as it adds an annoying “urgency” ( SHOUT! ) tone to the call. Talk calmly and sit closer to the phone. Most “modern” speakerphones are very sensitive. Better for you if the recipient just turns up their volume as no one likes to be shouted at.

Nothing is more insulting to a client than a "Dear Client" email salutation.

These people are paying you money. They EXPECT you know their name. Don't be sloppy or lazy with your database and its fields.

 

Thank them for their business in the valediction too.

Don't just put a "logo brand" in your email signature. Put in a real message.

Client support people communicate to your current clients hundreds of times a day. Use that space for upsell, upcoming events, cross-product promotion, etc. Have the image feed in dynamically and you can easily chang it out without bothering the client-facing folks.

 

Note: keep the message light and informative. Soft-sell. The receipients KNOW you already. Keeping the message fresh makes the cleint-facing folks feel like they are delivering content, not just an ad.

Be strategic with your Skype locations and background. This will become your live video "brand."

Skype is video - so the same visual rules apply... ESPECIALLY for marketers. Create a dedicated location for your Skype calls. Clients don’t want to see your messy office and co-workers don't want to see your tacky basemant paneling. Don't get visually casual. This is your Skype “brand.”

 

I stretched a couple yards of black felt over a simple PVC pipe frame. Lightwieght. I can use it in any room.  (even in my deck on nice summer days... shhhhh....)

The #1 priority for B2B tradeshows is to re-enforce your CURRENT clients’ buying decision

Tradeshow attendee/stakeholder importance: #1 = current clients, #2 = prospects, #3 = industry influencers and business partners. You cannot control a prospect’s buying cycle, but you can be in control of your client’s satisfaction.   

 

A sharp, business-professional booth will make your customers proud they selected you.

The customer is not always right. The customer does always pay the bills.

Sometimes, you just need to shut up and find a way to work WITH their ideas for mutual success. (Position their idea “the foundation.”) Respect the point that they DO know THEIR business - and have the business acumen to bring in advisory firms.

 

Marketing does not build your brand. Your happy customers do.

Marketing DOES build expectations. Learn your products before making promises.

 

 MUNC clients, friends and partners ringing the NASDAQ bell!