Tag: business Page 1 of 36

It’s one thing to ask for feedback and then it’s another to ask for it multiple times.

If someone sends me a survey to take after I’ve attended an event or taken a class, in theory I’d like to help them out.

But, the reality is that most of us, myself included, are too busy trying to get stuff done. I’m pressed for time and would hope most people would not hold it against me if I don’t take their survey.

Reminding me I only have until a certain time to take the survey does no greater good.

Feedback requests in the form of surveys and reviews are ubiquitous.

We are constantly being bombarded with them.

For those companies trying to sell a product or service (aren’t we all?), I have one question: Do you incorporate word of mouth into your marketing strategy?

Word of mouth is one of the tried and true ways of making something out of nothing–at least in the beginning of a product or service’s life cycle.

Survey results and customer review feedback should all be taken with a grain of salt.

There is the dreaded plus or minus margin of error for these kinds of things–just like election polls.

What really creates buzz is when you have a special product and it has the amazing ability to sell itself.

If you make something of quality, the consumer needs it, and the price is fair, not exorbitantly marked up, chances are the product will be successful.

This kind of product is one that consumers will be talking about.

If consumers are telling their family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers that they won’t be sorry if they purchase product X, that is a great way to get the business jumping–especially at the time a product or service launches.

Uncommon sense dictates to not be a lemming.

Don’t do what everyone else is doing.

Over 10,000 four star reviews on Amazon should be viewed with skeptical eyes.

Polls, surveys and reviews are a non-starter when it comes to portending how a product might perform or what kind of improvements will be needed before it can really take off.

If you’ve created disruption through word of mouth, which is very difficult to do, but still possible these days, you have more money to make the product better (rather than sinking it into the maddening financial quicksand that is an advertising budget).

You say word of mouth will only take you so far?

Word of mouth can yield a good reputation, trust, and a sound foundation for the future. If that’s only “so far,” I’ll take it every time as a way to figure out if your idea, product or service actually has legs for days.

Surveys and reviews aspire to produce similar feedback, but typically end up revealing the many, unforeseen shortcomings a product’s makers have to address, before it can even think about launching successfully.

I know there’s a lot of plastic that needs cleaning up in the oceans. I also know there are a lot of surveys and reviews that will get completed in the future, and the harsh reality is that the time it takes away from people will never be returned.