How Your Customers Can Help You Write Your Strategic Plan

Mike Brown, the founder of the Kansas City, MO company called, The Brainzooming Group, encourages business leaders to solicit feedback from their customers when creating a strategic plan.
Brown once wrote in Smart Companies Thinking Bigger magazine, that you should “ask a group of current, former and potential customers the following questions:"

If you’re a current or former customer, why did you start using us?
What have we done in the past to make your biggest challenges more difficult?
If you still use us, why do you continue to do so?
If you don’t use us currently, what are some of the reasons why you don’t?

“These questions are designed to allow your customers to share their perspectives and opinions openly, not rate performance on a numerical scale,” explained Brown.
He explained that the answers to the questions will provide you valuable insight into:

Your current strengths and weaknesses
Opportunities to more successfully help your customers
Potential challenges from not fully meeting customer expectations

Mike Brown is the author of the ebook, Taking the NO Out of InNOvation, a guide to breaking through personal challenges to living a more creative and innovation-oriented life.

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