APC: Mission-Driven Business Planning Toolkit- Marketing Toolkit

Marketing Toolkit ...cont'd

Introduction | Market Analysis Tools | Client Satisfaction | Market Planning |
Presentation

3.2 Client Satisfaction Survey

One of the best ways to improve your business relationship with your clients is to ask them what they think of your services and how you might improve in order to serve them better. Begin by developing a Client Satisfaction Survey based on the guidelines and questions below. Personalize it according to what your organization really needs to know at a given time – this will become a regular research tool, so don’t worry about asking everything all at once.

The Client Satisfaction survey should be conducted in person – preferably face-to-face. If distance prevents this personal contact, at least conduct the interview over the telephone after sending a copy of the form to the interviewee, so he/she can go through the form with you.

By conducting the interview rather than having the client just complete the form, you are giving your client special attention which will leave a positive impression. If the respondent merely completes the form, you are imposing on his/her time for your benefit – not theirs.

Personal contact also allows you to "read between the lines" and pick up subtleties that would not appear on the questionnaire. Use the interview time to build a relationship with the clients at a new level. Let them know you respect their opinions and value learning from them. Take the time to ask questions that go beyond the formality of the questionnaire to learn about the client’s emerging needs, test ideas of new products/services you might offer, and learn about the competition – what are they offering and how your organization compares.

Never miss an opportunity to have a positive client contact – even if the message you receive is negative, the contact will be positive because the client will know that you care. And don’t forget that this is also a marketing opportunity.

Survey Guidelines

A Client Satisfaction Survey should either begin or end with some identifiers, for example:

Client name, address and telephone number;
The date;
Respondent’s name and position.

Questions should be clear. They should solicit information that will help you better meet your clients needs and desires. They might include:

List current products/services provided to client
What are your specific impressions relating to each product/service we provide you?
What is your perception of the price we charge for each product/service?
How should we improve the quality of each product/service?
How could we improve our delivery of each product/service?
What is your perception of the technical support we provide? Does it meet or exceed your expectations? Is it prompt?
What is your perception of the frequency and quality of the non-technical contacts we have with you and other members of your organization?
How do you perceive us with respect to our competitors?
What other products/services would you like to receive from us?
What are the three best aspects of your purchasing products/services from us?
In which areas should we improve our organization, our products/services, our marketing, and our delivery.
Any other thoughts you might like to share concerning our organization and how we are perceived by your organization and the marketplace?

The following are some hints for successful client satisfaction surveying:

Be brief – the person completing your survey is doing you a favor
Be focused – a way to be brief, think about what is important to you now. Since asking will be a regularly scheduled marketing activity, there will be other opportunities to pursue other areas of interest.
Don’t ask too often – but do ask regularly. You may want to use the survey annually or a few months after a significant change in your clients’ management.
Ask questions in an orderly sequence and wording – test the survey to see if it conveys what you want to know clearly and concisely.
Limit identifiers – those questions that are at the beginning or end of the survey that categorize the person/organization being surveyed.
For trend data, be consistent – For example when questioning satisfaction, consider asking it with respect to a reference such as "this year" as opposed to "last year."
Say thank you.
Get help – Surveys take time and cost money. Consider getting professional help in drafting the survey instrument and the method for conducting the survey, as appropriate.

Three other points to keep in mind:

When asking, expect criticism. This could be the most important result of the survey, so don’t be defensive and be positive in your desire to improve your product/service delivery.
Listen carefully, you may know the answer, but since you asked, let the person being surveyed respond at his/her pace and fully—some responses may even be surprising. If you are asked a question during your interview or if you are presented with a criticism, respond.
Remember the clients may not always be right, but they are the clients and should be treated in a way that makes them feel that their inputs are valuable to you.

To download a sample survey go to-
Sample Survey

3.3 Market Planning

Up to this point you have been asked to perform exercises directed at organizing your knowledge of the business environment in which your organization operates. In this section you are provided with an approach to putting this information into a plan.

The following are suggestions of things you should endeavor to accomplish over the very short term, say three to six months:

Build common ground – All your staff should come to a common understanding of definitions used in the not-for-profit business planning process and the methods used for achieving the common goals of your organization.
Identify target markets – Go through the Marketing Analysis Tools and work with your staff toward a consensus regarding your markets.
Identify an external contact for each target market – Select a person with whom you can keep in regular contact. This may be easier for a funder target market than for client target markets, but even within those broad categories a representative can be selected.
Develop baselines – Look at the status of your markets as they now stand. How large is the market? Where do your referrals come from? How happy are your clients? How many complaints do you get? All this type of information goes into your baseline benchmark. These will be your starting point for improvement. If you don’t have a reference point, you will not be able to see whether or not you are making progress.
Develop an asking schedule – You need to establish a client contact and target markets networking plan.
Develop a marketing plan – at least, start on a draft. If you don’t formalize your market plan, and stick to it, precious time will go by and the progress you desire will not be achieved.

An Asking Schedule

Ask, ask, ask, and then listen. Only by asking, regularly, and asking the right people, will you know what your market wants. Do organizations in your market want the least cost product/service or do they prefer to work with a fellow Not-For-Profit even if there is a price premium? If they truly prefer to work with your not-for-profit organization, how much more than lowest price available in the marketplace are they willing to pay? If you don’t ask, you will never know.

You may use surveys, focus groups, and informal asking. A personal interview Client Satisfaction Survey may be the easiest to conduct, it also offers the extra benefit of having direct contact with your client, making them feel that you are especially interested in their needs. Regardless of the methods you use, review the survey guidelines and keep them in mind.

Marketing Plan Outline

This marketing plan outline will help ensure that your plan includes all the important parts of a comprehensive marketing plan. This should be a companion document to your organization’s strategic plan and annual operating plan and budget. They each have a place in plotting your organization’s future – in this case you are describing how you will deliver your products and services according to your mission. The marketing plan should have the following components:

Mission Statement

Place your mission statement at the top. Don’t lose sight of the mission; it is your organization’s reason for existence. Remember, this toolkit emphasizes mission-based marketing.

Executive Summary

This section, which goes at the beginning should be written last. It should summarize the plan, not repeat it. Include a short description of your organization’s market, products and services along with their target markets, a brief description of what your market wants and a reiteration of your organization’s marketing goals, objectives. No more – this is a summary.

Introduction: Purpose of the Plan

Tell why the plan is being written, who it is being written for, how will it be used, and who developed it.

Description of Markets

Tell who it is you serve, where they are, what trends are emerging: growth, changes, the state of the economy. Who is your competition, what are your advantages. Communicate the best way you can (using text and/or tables) to show the results of the Market Analysis.

Description of Products and Services

Describe what you provide, to which market segments, the number and size of the potential clients in each segment, projected growth, what new offerings you are planning.

Analysis of Market Wants

Remember, your organization must meet the market’s wants – not needs. If you believe that there is a difference, your sales efforts will be to help your clients understand what they really need and convert the needs to wants. Rely on your asking schedule to understand the markets wants, then tell the people using the plan how you intend to meet them.

Target Markets and Rationales

You cannot deliver everything to the entire market. Focus on the best few target markets for your organization and explain why those are the ones that will be pursued rather than others.

Marketing Goals, Objectives, and Action Plans

Your marketing goals, objectives, and action plans should be specified here. The action plans will lay out the specific way you intend to meet your marketing objectives.

Appendices

Keep the marketing plan direct and readable. Place dense supporting data in appendices so that they will be readily available but not an obstacle to appreciating the message of the plan.