As you probably know, I write extensively about how you can use client feedback in your business. But I’ve realized that by focusing on the tactic, it’s easy to miss an important fact. Client feedback isn’t a goal, in and of itself. It’s a tool to help you achieve your most important goals. So, what one thing would have the biggest impact on your business right now?

• Build more engaged client relationships?
• Improve your on-boarding process?
• Improve your client review process?
• Increase referrals from clients?
• Increase referrals from centers of influence?
• Enhance your client communications process to reflect what is most important to your clients?

Once you have a clear objective you can decide the best way to ask for feedback and, more importantly, the questions that will support that objective.

• If your goal is to build more engaged client relationships, don’t just focus on measuring how you are doing, but what is driving deeper engagement. Rather than seeking to validate what you expect, uncover what you don’t yet know.
• If your goal is to improve a specific process in your business, ask pointed questions of those clients who have just experienced the process. Don’t rely on the faulty memories of your clients by asking them for input on something that happened months (or even years) ago.
• If your goal is to increase referrals from clients, understand who has referred, why they do (or don’t) refer and how you can move them toward introductions? It's not just about if they have referred but how they are making those referrals.
• If your goal is to enhance your client communications to stand out from the crowd, don't just focus on what you are providing today. Dig deep on what topics are of interest, the form of communications they prefer and if there are differences across key segments or niches.

You shouldn’t ‘gather feedback’ until you know why you are doing it. And the ‘why’ goes beyond simply measuring how you are doing.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie ‍