Talk is Cheap!
I keep falling for it. I have to start looking at what people do and NOT what they say they will do.
I’ve polled so many people on my various business lists asking what they are interested in or what courses they want. I’ve spent countless weeks putting courses together and adding new websites and features.
I launch them to the very people who said they wanted it and guess what?
Not a lot to be honest. Maybe 5% of those who said they wanted went ahead, the rest were just saying they wanted it.
Same for my friend who runs a gym. So many members nagged him to open at 7am. He opened at 7am every day and after two weeks all the people who had asked him to open early especially for them stopped coming!
The moral is that it is easy for people to say they want a thing so you need to put something in place to double check such as a deposit or other requirement. If you are one of those who like to waste other peoples time by putting your hand in the air then please stop.
Paul Browning
[gravityform id=”1″ name=”Click Newsletter”]
You may also like
How Much Money is Enough?
Why the Laptop Lifestyle is a Big Fat Lie
If Your Life Sucks – Here’s Why
Leave A Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Login with Google
10 Comments
That really isn’t really very nice. I know the feeling, its exactly how kids act, they want that spiderman action figure now, but come 2 weeks you’ll find spidey in a corner or worse in the trash!!!
People are people i guess regardless at age. We need more youth people who will grow to be more decisive and more committed people than the generation today.
its true, I think it is better to put a price tag for a different an upgrade in service. This would definitely force them to commit. Contrary to popular belief the customer isn’t always right. However my Business professor always said “Cash is king”
A few months ago I was assigned to be in charge of installing CCTV surveilance cameras around the factory. the total cost was $4000. I was in operations department, so I made calls, researched, and the rest of the stuff needed. I oversaw everything and literally had to wait the whole time everything was done. Now the reason for this expensive equipment was that the boss said he wanted to monitor the area without him having to go all the way to the factory. after 2 days of toying with the monitors, he never touched them again. amazing how some guys grow up to be kids.
I say, Both you and your friend are just too generous, I would never give out that kind of service without additional payment. Sure its Public relations stuff, but guess what you won’t profit from it. People actually like stepping on other people so its best to be smart.
I find it useful to hold on to a request for several months to the point where i see more people who are upset about it. That would be my indicator that enough pissed people might actually benefit from this adjustment. sometimes it pays to piss people off.
I think polls doesn’t help in these sort of thing. I myself when given a survey am reluctant to answer diligently let alone honestly. In the end I think they had better pay more for a premium service such as that they are asking.
Results of polls and surveys are difficult to interpret. The question asks ?are you interested in this, that, or the other seminar?, and we answer ?the other?, but what we really mean is ?the other strikes my fancy right now, and I would attend if I could afford it at the time, and if it didn?t conflict with something else at the time, and if I felt like attending *anything* at the time?. There must be studies that show what percentage of respondents are actually likely to follow through. At least we all know it?s significantly less than 100 percent.
Businesses can?t advance without trying new things, but it has to be done in such a way to minimize the risks. Paul, your last point is a good one. Requiring a deposit, or an RSVP by a certain deadline, or letting people know the service is being offered on a limited trial basis to evaluate its use ? all are ways to assess interest. Be willing to try new things but be prepared to modify or cancel the service or program if results are not satisfactory.
It seems to me that there?s a marketing and market research opportunity even after you?ve responded to customer requests or to survey responses. Whether the program or service takes off the way you?d hoped, you have the opportunity to reach out to the original requestors or responders and ask for details about what worked for them and what didn?t, and what could make it better. Whatever the results, you will have engaged your customers, and that?s a good thing.
As someone who struggles with how to respond when there?s no room for all the caveats on the survey forms, I?m making a plea that when any of us asks others what they?d be interested in, we also ask ?what would prevent you from participating?, and leave room for other comments as well.