Most people have no idea whether or not their customers are meeting their goals or not. The purchase is made and that’s about the extent of the relationship. That’s pretty sad, and if you’re not finding out for sure how your customers are doing after they’ve made a purchase, you’re missing out on truly helping them – including helping them stop looking for answers to their problems since you’ve solved them.
* Follow Up – While your autoresponder likely sends your customers a thank you after they’ve downloaded or ordered your product, you should give them time to use the product and then follow up again to ask them if they’re having any problems or concerns with the product. Be ready for their answer and act on it immediately.
* Call Them Personally – When your customer has made a large purchase, it doesn’t hurt to give them a personal call. Even if all you do is leave a message on their voicemail, it will make a huge impact. You want to ask them how everything is going, if the solution is working and what can you do to make it better.
* Ask for Testimonials – When your customer has had time to implement your solution and you’ve followed up, send them a note asking them for a testimonial. Most people aren’t going to click though to give their testimonial if they didn’t like your product or didn’t get results. If you create the testimonial form in such a way as to ask them exactly how they used your solution and their exact results, you’ll know more.
* Interview Them Live – Contact your customers and ask them if they’d like to appear on your podcast or webinar to discuss how they used the product or service in question. This is a great way to ask them questions and get real answers that will help you determine if they’re achieving their goals or not.
* Are They Moving Through Your Funnel? – Another way to note whether or not your audience is achieving its goals is to see how they’re moving through your product funnel. Most people will not keep buying if what you’ve offered them isn’t working. But, don’t use this as a substitute for following up.
* Ask the Right Questions – There are different types of questions you can ask your customers to find out if they’re achieving their goals, and if not, what the issue is. It’s not always the product; sometimes it’s the user. Ask both open-ended and cause questions to ensure that you get enough information to make a determination.
* Monitor the Buzz – You can use Google Alerts to set up a query to find out what other people are saying about you and your products. The discussions on social media, blog posts, product reviews and such are all important measures of whether or not your audience is successful.
* Host an After-Purchase Q & A – Another really great way to get a feel of what your customers are doing post purchase is to offer periodic webinars or teleseminars where you simply answer questions that your customers have. These questions not only help you see whether they’re succeeding but can also give you clues to additional products and services to offer.
If you’re not sure whether your customers are achieving their goals, you’re not paying attention. Be available for questions, answers, and problems. Don’t be offended if they critique your solution; instead take what they say and compare it to other answers, and you’ll create an even better product as time goes on.