Mr. Marketing: Who is doing the asking?

In August, 1999, I spoke with a jewelry manufacturer interested in developing a line of commemorative paperweights. For four hours we analyzed, strategized, discussed, budgeted, and reviewed prototypes.

I advised him against pursuing the venture.

Outraged, he screamed, “All my employees loved this thing, and you’re saying don’t do it!” I stood my ground.

At that moment I knew three things:

• His signature was on employee paychecks;

• Most employees want to keep their jobs; and

• My asking those employees what they thought of those paperweights would probably generate a dramatically different response than they gave him.

Anyone remembering the turn of the millennium will recall how marketing anything with the number 2000 on it was at a fever-pitch.

With little time before the calendar turned for manufacturing, sales, distribution, ad creation, or publicity, this new venture was a financial disaster waiting to happen.

While unhappy with me that day, my client later admitted I’d saved him $200,000 by persuading him not to go down the wrong path.

Getting extra opinions at strategic points makes the difference in whether any operation is successful.

Consider your own business efforts, where talking with those to whom you sell can uncover what really does or doesn’t work for you.

Develop a short survey eliciting information you’ll benefit from. Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions like “What do you think of our staff?” or “Would you buy from us again?”

Like my now-grateful client, you’ll also discover most people say what they think you want to hear. Getting honest feedback about what you should improve becomes challenging.

To address this disconnect, have a neutral third party handle the data collection and separate the names from the comments in his report to you. Advise customers to say anything.

This encourages customers to say what’s on their mind without fear of retribution. They’ll relax and give you honest feedback.

Sure, it would be nice to know who said what. But you’re looking for trends and ways to improve your bottom line. What the person says about you is important; who actually said it isn’t.

Like my former client, you’ll probably discover something unexpected to increase sales or cut your costs. And that’s the bottom line!

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.