MAke Millions of Dollars

You may have just completed a project that went off amazingly well, but have you ever wondered how positive the client felt about it? Perhaps there's been other instances when you've feared what a client would say. Should you ask them for an honest opinion of how a recent project went?

I've mentioned previously the survey that my business encourages every client to complete at the end of a project. These, however, tend to tell only part of the picture.

You may want to consider creating an informal customer group where you facilitate meetings. This select group of clients then discuss what did (and didn't) work when dealing with your business. Similar to the traditional focus group, a Customer Advisory Council is a good way to obtain concrete feedback from real customers about how your business is doing; it's also handy in defining areas where your business could improve.

It's worth reading Wikipedia's explanation of a Customer Advisory Council to see what it entails. You could even make it an informal event, where you organize lunch or an afternoon for a handful of customers. Various aspects of your services could be discussed, such as technical, design, client service, communication, and more.

Ideally, you'd aim to meet with this group regularly. The expectation would be to constantly improve your areas of weakness, and celebrate your successes with the rest of your team.

This Rocket Watcher post has useful rules for running such a group, while 10 Tips on Setting Up an Advisory Board over at AllBusiness also has some handy ideas.

If you do organize a meeting, remember that these people are giving you feedback so you can improve your business. It's all extremely valuable, even if some of the negative stuff can make you feel a little uncomfortable.

Best of luck improving your business!