How to Read Your Customer's Mind

by Colleen Davis

April 17, 2008

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Wouldn’t it be nice if you could read the mind of every customer who came into your place of business? If you knew what your customers were thinking, it would be simple to keep them happy, and keep them coming back, right?

Sadly, modern science has not yet perfected the “mind-reading” machine, so you are going to have to work a little bit to figure out what your customers are thinking. Believe it or not, the best way to find out what they are thinking is to ask them! And one of the best ways to ask them is by sending them a postcard!

Postcard printing is not a difficult thing to do, nor is it extremely costly. There are many phenomenal companies out there, like PrintPlace.com, that will print beautiful full color postcards at a very reasonable rate.

But when you send your postcards to your customers, you have to have a goal in mind. Obviously, the goal is to find out what they think about your business, and whether they would come back for more. But you have to be a bit more specific than that. Here are the things you want to find out:

1. What am I doing right?
2. What am I doing wrong?
3. Can you help me out?

What am I doing right?

If you are aiming your postcard marketing campaign at customers who have already come to you for business, then they must have seen something about you that they liked. Find out what it is. Somewhere on the postcard, ask them to get back to you and tell you what, if anything, they think you are doing well.

It is possible that, although a customer came to you for business, they didn’t actually see anything that they liked. But you still want them to tell you. In fact, learning that you really aren’t doing anything well is probably even more valuable than having someone tell you that you are perfect. You can never afford to stop improving, so take all criticism to heart.

What am I doing wrong?

This is where the postcard printing strategy will work wonders. Very few customers will be willing to tell you to your face what they don’t like about your business. But many people will be more than happy to complain through the mail. On your postcard, tell them that you want them to be completely (and even brutally) honest in their assessment of your services. Nothing is more valuable than constructive criticism, but even harsh criticism is better than none at all.

Can you help me out?

Hopefully, there are at least a few people out there who came to you for business, and were completely happy with the experience. You need to ask those people to return the favor, and tell their friends, family, and neighbors about you. Nothing can boost business as well as word of mouth, and you can’t have positive word of mouth if no one is talking about you. If your customers are happy with you, ask them to spread the word about your business. Many of them will be more than happy to do so.