It might surprise you to know what the hardest part of my job is when consulting with survey clients. It isn’t convincing them to DO surveys, it isn’t convincing them to shorten their surveys, it isn’t even getting them to pay me when the job is done.
The toughest part of my job when working with clients is getting THEM to identify WHAT THEY WANT TO KNOW.
Clients have a very hard time REALLY understanding what they want to know, which is why I spend a lot of my time asking them questions, to help them clarify.
Why worry so much about this? Because if you don’t specify the central question or goal of your survey clearly, nothing else will matter.
It’s critically important to be able to state the goal of your survey, the central question, in 1 clear, concise sentence.
Here are some examples of good survey questions:
- How interested are my customers in a new product that would help them ____?
- Among the customers who purchased Product X in the last 6 months, how satisfied are they with that product?
- What % of the people on my list have ever purchased a product or service from me?
- What % of the people on my list are women?
Notice that each of these questions is clear, simple, and specific. It directs us toward the group of people we want to survey and it gives us a very clear idea of where we need to go.
So, before you begin writing questions, make sure you understand EXACTLY what you want to know. It will make the job of creating a survey far easier.
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Success Stories
“A wonderful offering for busy entrepreneurs and business owners” "Jeanne Hurlbert's survey system is a wonderful offering for busy entrepreneurs and business owners who want to be in continual, 'customer-centric' dialogue with their prospects and clients, a systematic approach you can build on for years to come. Even better, Jeanne practices what she preaches — she goes the extra mile again and again to serve us, and I'm confident she'll do the same for you."
Author of Healing the Spirit/Matter Split
~ Saniel Bonder, spiritual author and teacher, Pres. of Extraordinary Empowerments (www.heartgazing.com).
“Jeanne’s Really Been a Genius at Showing Me How Important Surveys Are.” "Jeanne's an amazing gal who truly is an exceptional, unique person who really understands the power of surveys. Surveys are just a different way to talk to people and ask them a little about what they're doing and why they want to do it with you. The more you know, the better you can serve people. Jeanne's really been a genius at helping me realize how important that is. She's helped me put a structure into place so when I'm on the Internet working with people I can find out what they really want so I can do a better job of giving them what they want. That's the key—but sometimes we think people want to do "this," and in actuality, they'd rather do it "this way." Whatever it is you're doing, whether it's finances or dating or relationships or just business on the Internet, and you want to find out how to do it better, Jeanne's programs are fantastic. Anything she does, I'm always dialed into. She's just a genius at taking what you're doing and making it better, so you can do it more effectively and you can reach the people you want to more effectively. If you get Jeanne's stuff, read it, be disciplined at it, it will transform your business, as it has mine."
New York Times Bestselling Author, as seen on The Today Show, Oprah, Regis and Kelly Live
~ New York Times #1 Bestselling Author, Jorge Cruise
"Had I Done a Survey on My Own, I Would Have Wasted a Ton of Time and Potential Opportunity."
- Steve Fultz, Stuph Clothing
"Jeanne’s Really Been a Genius at Showing Me How Important Surveys Are.”
- New York Times #1 Bestselling Author, Jorge Cruise
"…surveys are the newest old way of cutting through the clutter on the Internet and getting the information you need to double or triple your sales"
- Susan Harrow, CEO of www.PRSecrets.com & author of Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul
