Using a Contact List Profitably
Nancy Roebke  mailto:execdirector@profnet.org


In previous articles, we discussed the generation of a contact 
list. This time, we look at one idea on what to do with that list 
once you have it.  

The Survey 

Your contact list can be used as a great source of information,
especially about the importance and need of specific products
or services. This type of survey is most effective when asking
what are called "probing" questions- questions that cannot be
answered by "yes" or "no". Useful questions to ask include:

1. The "Who are you?" series of questions. This includes the
name of the company, the name of the contact, address, phone
number, email, fax, web page, etc. Use this part of the survey
to update customer records.

2. The "How often do you buy product type A? B? C?" 
questions. These questions are used to determine customer 
needs. It can help flush out a "niche" that is currently not being 
serviced to capacity by yourself or your competitors.  

3. The  "How often do you shop at business type A? B? C?". 
These questions can be used to determine client buying habits. 
They are helpful in determining whether your product/service 
should be available to purchase through a large store or 
whether you should be providing on-site visits.  

4. The "Why WOULDN'T you do business with any firm 
supplying this product or service?" questions. This is RARELY 
seen on a survey, but the information can be very valuable in 
determining how to capture more of a certain market. If a 
client would rather pay by credit card but that option is not yet 
available, it is important to know that.  

You can also use a survey to judge customer satisfaction. 
Again, the use of probing questions is more helpful than only 
yes or no answers.  

1. The "How satisfied are you with current services" questions.
Included here are questions about the ease of use, about
customer service, and about the usefulness of the
product/service.

2. The "How frequently they use each service and their priority 
services" questions. These are useful in determining which 
products/services are the most important to clients and WHY. 
Although the sales figures can tell you WHAT sold the most, 
the reasons WHY it did can surprise you.  

3. The "What other products/services should be offered"
questions. These are obviously used to determine future needs
and company growth ideas.

4. The "Are there any issues in which the organization should
be involved to assist their clients?" questions. These will
elicit general customer service responses which can streamline
everything from the billing department to the quality of
products/services- and everything in between. 

And finally, a survey can be conducted of people who have 
discontinued their service/purchases. This survey is similar to 
the "exit interview" done years ago by companies when 
employees resigned. This is to ascertain if there is a 
consistency for dropping out. Use the:  

1. "What did you like and why?" questions.

2. "What didn't you like and why" questions.

3. "What would you do differently" questions.

Surveys can be done by phone or mail successfully. They can 
be anonymous or contain lost of contact information. They are 
an invaluable tool for gathering information that leads to sales. 
AND they are a GREAT tool to use to target market and 
develop strong business relationships.  


Nancy Roebke, is the Executive Director of Profnet Inc, a
professional business leads generation corporation. We bring
business professionals together in a non-competitive
environment to help each other make more money.

mailto:execdirector@profnet.org      http://www.profnet.org

Copyright c 1998 Nancy Roebke






Nancy Roebke is the Executive Director of Profnet, Inc. 
Profnet, Inc. is a professional business leads generation 
corporation. We bring business professionals together in a 
non-competitive environment to help each other make more 
money.  


execdirector@profnet.org    
profnet.org


Copyright c 1998 Nancy Roebke