Encourage Participation

It is one thing to garner feedback from our customers and clients and encourage them to tell us what they think of our business operations. It is quite another to get our customers and clients involved with our businesses on a participation level. The more engaged individuals are, however, the more likely they are to be good, loyal customers and help us build our business where we want to take them.

What does it mean to encourage participation? It is going to depend on the exact sort of business that you are operating as to what sort of participation can be beneficial to your clients and customers. If you have a management consulting business, for example, you may want to get your clients involved by having them participate in a market survey group or a workshop designed to create new directions for the company. Of course, you want feedback and of course you want individuals to feel like they can communicate and share ideas with you—but participation invites them to become even more engaged with your business operations.

“Encouraging” participation means more than just asking for feedback. You have to create an environment and a culture that rewards people for getting involved. Set up systems to gather the information and invite participation and then there should be rewards for getting involved. Maybe you can offer a discount to those who participate in a focus group, or a special incentive for those who help you test a new product line. The more pleasant and accepting you are of those who get involved, and the more you reward and encourage involvement, the more participation you will get. Make sure that you are ready and willing to work with all of this participation before you encourage your customers and clients to get more involved.

See Also: How’s Your Phone Personality?

Creating a Home Business Culture