Question … what is your clients, prospects, or associates reality? Better question … is their reality of you — reality? Best question … what are you doing to make their perception your reality? Confusing, yes I know.
Okay, here’s an uncomfortable reality. How many of your clients, customers, staff, or whomever do you feel are — well, let’s just say ‘bad’? How many of them feel that way about you? Best way to find out is to ask them.
This is why getting feedback from others on presentations, service, products, management style, training, hiring, and communication is so important. Do you have a process in place that allows you to get some feedback from others? Do you take the time to ask the right questions of the right folks? Often, you will get the right answers.
So what do you have to gain from taking time out to ask some good questions of excellent sources about the work you do? What do you have to gain by learning more about your target market and customer base — and how to serve them better? What do you stand to gain by reaching out for opinions, suggestions, feedback, and insight that is worth a fortune but is only an investment of a few minutes to you?
Comments
simple, yet engenius way to gain valuable insight.
Thanks Mike!
Like with any type of evaluation, it is important to visit this issue with multiple customers and colleagues to get a better “trend”. It will assist in highlighting your strengths as well as things perceived as weaknesses. Visiting the customers at the extremes opinions will also help in personal growth.
Remember, sometimes the opinions of how others view you is simply how their personality and theirs relate. By simply changing words or how something is communicated, can change people’s perceptions of you.
I’ve found it as difficult to give feedback as to ask for it. One of the things that helps me most in both roles is to approach this in a very common, very simple way.
The idea is to have a balanced conversation about what’s good and what most needs improvement. Leading with the positive feedback gets both parties comfortable in the discussion and ready to prioritize what I/you need to do better.
Two frameworks I know of that work pretty well are….
1. “What do I do well?… What do I that needs improvement? Your suggestions?”
2. “What should I keep doing? Stop doing? Start doing?”
Always looking for others.
Yes, all right on the mark! Often enough, feedback offered (rather than asked for) is more about the person giving it rather than the one receiving it. So consider the source - and the motive!