| 1. |
What
initially got me started in my business or career (what motivation,
occurrence, etc.)? |
| 2. |
When
I first started, where did my clients or promotions progress come
from (what process, method, or action did I use)? |
| 3. |
Why
did clients originally buy from me (or buy me)? |
| 4. |
Why
do clients buy from me (or buy me) now? |
| 5. |
What
primary method of generating clients was used to build my business/career? |
| 6. |
Which
of my marketing or sales efforts brought in the bulk of my sales
or clients? What percentage of my business comes from this particular
effort? |
| 7. |
Do
I test the various aspects of my marketing and selling activities
to make sure they are producing the best and most profitable results? |
| 8. |
How
well connected or how involved am I with my clients at the sales/networking
or transaction level (do I still sometimes take orders or sell or
follow up)? |
| 9. |
What
ongoing sales/networking efforts do I personally perform today?
How do these functions differ from those I performed when I started
my business/career?
|
| 10. |
Where
do my clients come from specifically (demographics)? |
| 11. |
Would
I rather attract more new clients or garner more money from my
existing clients, and why?
|
| 12. |
Who
else benefits from my success, excluding my clients, my employees,
and my family members? |
| 13. |
How
many of my suppliers/business colleagues would be motivated to help
me grow my business more because it will directly benefit them at
a very high level? Who are they? |
| 14. |
When
I create a new client for my business or profession, who else have
I directly created a new client for? |
| 15. |
Describe
completely what my business/career does (what I sell, how I sell
it, and whom I sell to by industry, commercial category, or specific
niche). |
| 16. |
What
is my business philosophy as it relates to my clients? |
| 17. |
How
have my methods for doing business, or the product or service line(s)
I market, changed since the inception of my business? |
| 18. |
What
are my sales per employee or personal/departmental performance levels?
Is that above, below, or equal to my industry average? |
| 19. |
What
is the lifetime value of my typical client (or my contribution to
explore) (i.e., how much revenue will he or she generate for me
over the entire period he or she does business with my company)? |
| 20. |
What
is the biggest client complaint about my company, and how does
my company successfully address this problem?
|
| 21. |
What
is my unique selling proposition or USP? (Why do my clients buy
from me-what is it about my product and/or service that distinguishes
me from my competition? Do I have more than one USP for different
product/service lines or segments of my business)? |
| 22. |
Is
my USP a consistent theme in all of my marketing and sales efforts?
If yes, how, and if no, why not? |
| 23. |
Briefly
describe my marketing program or marketing mix (all the different
types of marketing I use and how they interrelate- i.e., sales letters,
direct mail, direct sales, personal networking inside, outside my
company, industry, marketplace, Yellow Pages, spot advertisements,
etc.). |
| 24. |
Who
are my biggest competitors and what do they offer that I do not? |
| 25. |
What
steps do I take to offset their advantage? Are they working?
|
| 26. |
What
is my competition's biggest failing, and how do I specifically
fill that void?
|
| 27. |
What
do my clients really want (be specific, don't just answer "a
quality product or service") How do I know?
|
| 28. |
Do
clients buy from me exclusively or do they also patronize my competitors?
What steps can I take to get the main portion of their business
(preempt and dominate)? |
| 29. |
What's
my market potential (universe) and my current share of that market? |
| 30. |
What
does it cost me to get a new client? (If I ran an advertisement
that cost $1000 and I obtained two new clients, my cost would be
$500.) Translate this to whatever your acquisition cost is. |
| 31. |
What
is my biggest and best source of new business, and am I doing everything
possible to secure this business? |
| 32. |
What
has been my biggest marketing success to date (defined as a specific
promotion, advertising campaign, sales letter, etc.)? |
| 33. |
What
is my biggest marketing problem or challenge today? Describe it
in its entirety as candidly and directly as possible, including
personal, financial, and transactional implications it may impose.
|
| 34. |
How
many better ways could I reduce the risk of transaction, lower the
barrier of entry, or reduce the hurdle for my client to make it
easier for that person to do business with me? |
| 35. |
After
the initial sales, are there systematic, formal methods I use to
communicate and resell to my clients-strengthening the relationship
and bonding them to me? |
| 36. |
Do
I have an adequate supply of client testimonials, and is there a
system in place for their capture? Are they written, on audiotape,
or on videotape, and how are they used in my marketing? Also, can
I measure, compare, or quantify the tangible impact I make on my
clients? |
| 37. |
Do
I actively solicit referral business? |
| 38. |
Have
I ever tried to reactivate my former clients and unconverted prospects?
Do I maintain systematic contact? |
| 39. |
Have
I ever tried selling a list of my unconverted prospects to my competitors,
or turning enemies into allies? |
| 40. |
Do
I make consistent efforts to communicate with my clients about what
my company is doing to help them? |
| 41. |
In
what ways do I try to up-sell my clients? |
| 42. |
Do
I need to make money on first-time buyers, or am I satisfied with
only making it on the back end (reorders), short or long-term strategy. |
| 43. |
Do
I ever barter my products, services, or assets with other companies
in exchange for their products, services, or assets? |
| 44. |
What
kind of guarantee or warranty do I give my clients, to take away
the risk of the transaction, and how does it compare with my competitors'
or what the industry at large offers? |
| 45. |
What
is my client attrition rate? |
| 46. |
How
do I capture the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all my clients
and prospects? Do I use them in my marketing programs? |
| 47. |
What
is my average order, transaction size, amount, and what are the
steps I can take to increase it? |
| 48. |
How
much is the initial sale to a new client worth? |
| 49. |
Do
I use a list broker or data experts? If not, where do I get my prime
prospect names? |
| 50. |
Do
I joint venture my client names with other companies? If so, what
were the results?
|
