Ever wonder what your customers think about the new improvements on your product?
Or ever wonder about why people do not visit your website?
Ever wonder why your employees don’t seem motivated about your rewards program?
The answer to these and so many other questions can help you improve your business.
The answer to these questions may mean the difference between success and failure.
So many managers and executives spend hours and hours in meetings after meetings discussing what they think the answers are.
Sometimes even committees are formed, reports are compiled and studies are performed.
All of which often come very close to getting the right answers, yet the results do not change.
Some companies create these wonderful incentive programs with exciting gifts yet they fail to gain any momentum on the sales results.
“We offer front row tickets to an NBA game!” why aren’t they trying harder to win these?
“We offer front row tickets to a popular play!”, why are the employees not clamoring over them?
Design your incentives, your rewards in terms of your employees’ interest not your own.
You cannot count on your employees to desire the same rewards/gifts as you.
Further still, do not assume they want monetary rewards, or gifts.
They may prefer intangibles like receiving formal recognition – in front of their peers.
Don’t discard the fact that they may even prefer the recognition to be done in private instead of in front of peers.
Most importantly, ask your employees what they prefer in terms of rewards and recognition.
Listen to what they have to say about it.
You will unavoidably receive many different answers.
Don’t be intimidated by that.
Welcome the information, explore the opportunities.
A few extra minutes of careful analysis and you will be able to design a better incentive program that will be based on what your employees have told you about their likes and preferences.
No more guess work.
No more hit and miss.
Ask and you shall receive.
Whatever you are wondering about today, there are people within your organization holding the true answers.
They are more than happy to tell you if you just simply ask.
When it comes to customers, you can ask them directly, or you can again rely on your front line employees.
Your front line employees meet and greet your customers on a daily basis.
They are the voice of your company, but they are equally important, they are the ears to your company.
Tap into the wealth of information your employees possess.
They have insurmountable data stored in their minds.
Leverage that.
Again, ask your front line employees, and you shall receive.
Sometimes one employee may not necessarily hold the key answer, but the key answer is held by the totality of the data held by several employees.
But the answer is there – explore it.
Tap into your creative side and learn to extract this data, and better yet learn to decipher it and build a stronger business.
Do not be afraid to continually ask your employees.
Think about it.
This is in effect a different way to open the communication between you and your employees.
That in itself is a rewarding experience for the employees.
Who knows what you might learn?
Regardless, imagine the stronger relationship you will form with your employees, and they with your customers.