What do you do if your feedback collection methods in Direct Sales are falling short?

Here are the steps I'll take to figure out why I am falling short: 1) Re-evaluate my Goals: Clearly define my objectives for collecting feedback. 2) Diversify My Approach: Use multiple feedback methods. 3) Make it Easy to Respond: Use shorter surveys with clear questions. 4) Emphasize the Importance: Let customers know how their feedback is valued. 5) Analyze and Act: Analyze the data, identify trends, and share insights with my sales team.

Okay so here’s the eternal truth: you aren’t getting feedback because you’ve fallen into the very common trap of wanting feedback to help you. You aren’t making it clear what is in it for your customer. Yes, it should be obvious that feature improvements and innovation are in their best interest but we all are so used to companies taking in feedback and then… crickets. Nothing. No status updates, no timelines, no roadmap. If you want feedback, make it obvious how you will keep customers informed and never don’t inform them. In a steady, useful cadence. Form local CABs so the customers get a great networking night and get to be thought leaders in their peer group. Make it clear it benefits them.

Enlisting feedback is critical for early stage startups to be able to refine their products and align their value proposition to what is important for their clients and prospective clients. It's also an important component in qualifying beyond "interested" and validating what is required in order for prospective clients to purchase.

If feedback collection methods in direct sales are falling short: Review current methods. Diversify channels. Incentivize participation. Simplify feedback process. Train sales representatives. Act on feedback promptly. Utilize technology for automation. Consider external support. Regularly evaluate and adapt. Cultivate a feedback culture.

When your feedback collection methods in **Direct Sales** are not yielding the desired results, it's essential to take proactive steps to improve. Here are some strategies to consider: 1. **Evaluate Your Current Methods**: - Begin by assessing your existing feedback collection processes. Are you using **direct** or **indirect** methods? Are they effective in capturing valuable insights from customers? Identify any gaps or shortcomings. 2. **Diversify Your Approaches**: - **Direct Feedback 3. **Omnichannel Feedback 4. **Customer-Centric Approach 5. **Act on Feedback 6. **Usability Tests 7. **Feedback Terminals

Ask better questions to get better answers. Ask them what their expectations, wants, goals and desires are and not yours? The 6Ws Who, What, Where, Why, When and How set the framework. Additional social proof increase the credibility.

Never let anything linger that promotes self- doubt or leaves open the wrong thoughts or fears to enter. Idles is the opposite of making progress.

Simplify your feedback process by setting expectations on the front end. If you sew the seed early with clients that their feedback is a major component of what will make their experience continuously better, then they will be more invested in providing feedback. Also, if it’s possible in your industry, set an appointment a couple months post-onboarding just to gather feedback from clients on their experience this far.

Keep it simple - for early stage startups, these questions might be useful: 1. If you had access to this solution, what impact(s) would it make on your work? 2. Is there anything that we haven't covered today that would make this even more useful for you? 3. Putting price to one side for a moment - is this something that you would consider purchasing or recommending to your organisation to review further? Depending on your solution and the stage of the engagement, these will vary. However, having a consistent framework for client facing teams to enlist feedback is a simple way to have a steady stream of feedback constantly coming into the business.

Offer something in return for their feedback. People are generally encouraged to act when there is something in it for them. Also keep it short and limited to only a couple key questions you would want to know from your audience in advance.

At early stage, collecting feedback is critical so consider incentivising your client facing teams to collect feedback and ensure a steady stream of critical information coming into the business.