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How to Sharpen Your Sales Message with Do-it-Yourself Focus Groups - Small Business Power Tools
You've probably heard of focus groups. It's a tool that the big guys use to quickly test a new product or service or to get fast feedback from potential customers. Focus groups do not provide real, actionable information but are great for what I call "clue hunting." For example, I once sat through a series of focus groups on a new camera-related product. After three focus groups, we were able to pretty well conclude there wouldn't be much of a market for this particular product, and the idea was dropped. The three focus groups probably cost this advertiser around $5000 vs. the hundreds of thousands of dollars that would have been wasted had they put the product into manufacturing. While you may not want to hire a full-fledged market research company to conduct a focus group for you, there is nothing to prevent you from doing your own informal focus group or groups. How should you use a focus group? I like to test new product ideas in focus groups (see paragraph #1, above) or to solicit ideas for new products or services. For example, suppose your company manufactures a line of pet supplies leashes, dog dishes, chew toys and the like. I think you could easily pull together a group of six or eight dog owners to brainstorm ideas for new pet products. A good place to start is by asking, "What do you need for your dog that you can't find at the local pet store?" Another way to approach this is get together a group of dog or cat owners, explain the idea or service you've come up with, and see how they react to it. You do have to be careful when you ask friends, what they think of your idea because friends don't want to have to look you in the face and tell you that this brilliant idea of yours if just plain awful. If you don't mind being a little aggressive, you can hang out around stores that cater to the people whose opinions you would like and ask them if they would be willing to participate in a focus group. I've found that you usually need to offer some reward like $25 or coupons for a free lunch or dinner. But if you ask nicely, and make sure people understand you are not trying to see them something, you might be surprised at how many people will say "yes." Plus, these people are not your friends, so they may give you better, more honest answers. Where to hold your focus group? If you are doing a focus group with friends or neighbors, you can probably do it around your kitchen table. If you;re doing it with strangers and have a conference room in your business that will hold seven to nine people comfortably, have a focus group there. Or you should be able to rent a small conference room in a hotel or motel at reasonable cost. Plan on having soft drinks for your attendees and maybe some munchies. I like to run focus group in the evening, as it can be hard to get people to come during the day. Naturally, your focus group should consist of the people you feel are most likely to be customers for your product or service. How do you run a focus group? Start by asking everyone to tell a little about themselves to break the ice. Next, you might ask the group to talk about some of their problems or issues as they relate to your products or services. Take the example of the working moms. Once they've introduced themselves, ask a question like "you are busy, probably stressed out, working hard what bothers you the most about being a working mom?" You just might get some ideas for future products. Be sure to ask open-ended questions like the "what bothers you the most?" "How do you feel about that?" Don't ask questions that can be answered with a yes or no. This can be the death knell of a focus group. If you are unlucky, you will get one person who wants to dominate the conversation. This is the guy or gal who has all the answers and doesn't care about other people's opinions. If you get one of these in a focus group, you just have to take control, "Bob, we really value your opinion, but I'd like to hear from some other members of the group." When you get around to introducing the product or service on which you want the group's feedback, be low key. You might not even want to say that it's something you are thinking of marketing. Instead, talk in general terms such as "I've been sitting here listening to you all and it seems to me that a product you could use would be a (whatever)." Then listen to their responses. Try to keep the conversation going with sentences like, "can you tell me more?" "What made you think of that?" "Is there anything about this idea that could be changed that would make it more useful?" "Are there any products like this on the market?" What do you think of them?" And, finally, I always like "what do you think a product like this should cost?" This is sort of where the rubber meets the road, If your group assigns a really low cost to your product or service idea, this means they really don't have much interest in it no matter what they have been saying. Don't get defensive or try to sell your idea. You might think you have just the most brilliant product idea since the iPod, but if your group thinks the idea is really bad, don't argue with them. Learn a lesson about your product and move on. The first time you try to do a focus group, you may feel awkward and uncomfortable. But try a couple and it should become easier than falling of a log. Plus, it's a cheap way to get information that could help you earn thousands of dollars in new sales. Article by Douglas Hanna. Douglas is a retired advertising and marketing executive and long-time Denver resident. He is the webmaster of http://www.all-in-one-info.com, a free resource for information on a variety of subjects. Please visit his site to subscribe to his free newsletter, "Tips & Tricks to Save Money & Live Better."
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Careers and Employment Franchise Sales; Recruiting of Laid Off Employees Because of corporate downsizing, many people have been laid-off or voluntarily taken early retirement packages and/or incentives. This happens when times are good due to mergers and acquisitions or when the economy is in the dumps and corporations are working to cut payroll costs. Almost all of these people have absolutely had it with corporate life; they feel burned and unappreciated. They realize that there is no such thing as job security. If a franchiser sales team gets the lead in time, they may still have good credit. If not, these laid off employees will have spent their savings on family crisis type emergencies and day-to-day living expenses. They will have either taken a job for less pay somewhere else out of necessity or be in a line of work totally foreign or unrewarding. Once this happens, they may no longer be in the market for a franchise. Finding A Sales Force That Pays For Itself The elements involved in building a sales force, especially one that pays for itself and also adds value to any business, are many and varied. The whole purpose and direction of a sales manager needs to be directed to creating a sales force that causes the employing company to expand through increasing sales. Do You Know How to Fire Up Your Sales Staff (When Money Isnt Everything)? Money is the only thing that motivates a salesperson, right? Well, maybe it is time to give your sales staff a little more credit. How To Use A Powerful Leadership Tool To Step Up Sales Results Good sales people can close, but few "step up" for even more sales from that close. Yet stepping up should be one of the easiest accomplishments in sales - that is if you know how to build the staircase. When Its DUH? Time at Trade Show - 3 Little Words Save the Day TIME, MONEY, HASSLE - You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client. Five Steps to Maximize Success in Targeting For Growth Targeting is the process of selecting high potential customer accounts to receive intense sales focus. Goal setting translates that high potential into achievable numeric objectives, i.e. revenue and margin growth. How to Maximize Account Penetration and Jump-Start Sales Maximizing account penetration is one of the most critical functions in sales. Why? The depth of account penetration has an enormous impact on revenues and profitability. Investing in Your Sales Team While there's no easy answer to this question, there are a few basic points, known as the Training Discrepancy Model, which illustrate key areas that must be targeted for your company's training investment to be 100% effective. Increase Retail Sales With Meetups I recently attended the monthly Italian language Meetup here in Little Rock. Meetups are informal social gatherings of people with similar interests in a particular topic. Topics for Meetups range from political to cultural to intellectual to fun. Free to Succeed: Effective Sales Leadership Using A Coach Approach About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program I'll never forget. The leader divided us into two teams. Each team's task was to fire a whack of darts into each number on a dartboard. The leader of Team A was given instructions that his team had to hit the numbers in a certain sequence. He then related the sequence, number by number, to his team. Increase Your Sales - Accept Credit Cards Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by credit card. If you want their business, you must be able to accept their credit-card payments. The Boss from Hell: Quick to Criticize, Slow to Praise So you have a boss who dumps all over you the moment things go wrong, but never seems to notice when things go right. Ouch. 8 Procedures to Take Control of Sales and Marketing The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Three of Series Pointless Targets I recall a heated discussion with a sales director some time ago where I proposed that the long-term effect of setting activity targets for salespeople would eventually lead to failure. He vehemently made the point that he had systematically imposed activity targets on his sales force and that the result had been to treble average income per salesperson within 18 months. Overcoming Sales Objections for Small Business Networks Do you need help overcoming sales objections? Do you sell computer networks, or other IT-related products and services to small businesses? This article provides tips and hints so you can be overcoming the most common sales objections heard when selling networks to small business prospects, customers, and clients. How You Can Raise Your Business Earnings By 50% With An Age-Old Magic Truth Imagine increasing your business earnings by 30, 40, or 50%. And this just by putting into use a fundamental truth of life. Many great men of history have used this truth in turning around their fortunes. The Surest Way to Boost Sales If you have a small business and you are looking to boost your sales and make the public aware of your business, how do you going about doing this? There is one sure way that I know to boost sales and create awareness. It may not be sexy, but it WORKS! Is Your Sales Trust Factor High Enough to Win Against the Competition? How high is your sales trust factor? We Will Make It Back----- A Fictional Story Based on Fact About Sales Management Success Bill Borders stepped up onto the podium. He had just been introduced as the new Vice President of Sales for Kiechler Building Supplies. As he looked out at the fifty seven faces staring back at him, time seemed to stop and everyone was motionless. Bills mind wandered. This wasn't a nervous reaction; it was more of a reality check. How Exhibitors Can Move More Attendees Closer to Buying Q. What's the single, biggest change exhibitors can make to move more prospects closer to a buying?
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