Avoid guessing what your customers think — ask them questions that will uncover invaluable information.

These days, marketing is all about reaching your customers on a personal level. You break the mailing into demographic segments, speak to individual customers by name, and when possible, further personalize the content based on additional information you have in your database. It’s all about being personal, targeted, and relevant. But what about being inquisitive? By using personalized communications to ask questions of your customers, you can uncover invaluable information that can improve your sales.

Case Study: Governmental Agency

For example, when one governmental agency implemented a new set of regulations, it set up a compliance program designed to help affected businesses. In advance of a conference on the issue, it decided to survey attendees about their knowledge of the new regulations and compliance initiative. It asked them to fill out a short survey in exchange for a guaranteed prize and a chance to win one of several iPod shuffles. What did it learn?

• More than two-thirds of attendees did not know whether they were in compliance or not
• 54% had never visited the government website designed to educate them on the regulations
• 48% did not know how the government compliance program would help them

Imagine how this information helped the agency tailor its message during the conference and increase sign-ups to the program!

Case Study: Mid-sized Marketer

In another example, one mid-sized marketer used personalized surveys to dramatically improve its prospecting efforts. In the survey, it asked customers to indicate where they needed the most help in critical areas of their business. It also asked about what services would make their jobs easier and queried them about various business pain points. The specific nature of the information helped the salespeople create highly targeted presentations directed at the individual needs of each prospect. The result was a whopping 73.9% conversion rate.

Are you doing regular customer and prospect surveys?

If not, there are many ways to work them into your marketing projects, from personalized URLs to pre-filled tear-out forms, to online and email forms. Ask yourself what information you do not currently have that would help you open doors, increase the relevance of your pitches, and ultimately help you close the sale. Then let us help you decide which approach or combination of approaches will best accomplish those goals.

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