Interesting article in the Sunday Times Business Section yesterday. It was hidden away down the bottom of a page but it was reporting on some research that showed a clear link between a businesses success and the amount of time and energy it invests listening to its customers.

I’ve always been a big fan (and practitioner) of proper engagement with customers. Tomorrow we have our quarterly Franchisee Consulatation Group taking place here in Solihull. The agenda is shaped by the franchisees, we talk about what’s on their mind and how to make it better. With our restaurant marketing service, Explosive Marketing, we’ve juts introduced the ‘Automated Feedback Machine’ which basically emails a restuarants customrs, automatically, the day after they’ve dined at the restaurant, and invites them to complete an online questionnaire about their experience the night before. Suddenly, these restaurant owners are getting consistent, objective feedback, uncensored by their staff. It’s golden.

Quite a few times in my 1:1’s recently with Members of my Entrepreneurs Circle I’ve found myself asking them ‘what do your customers think?’ and each time the business owner has no idea – or else they’re just guessing.

Watch any of the business progs on TV ‘ Mary Queen of Shops’, ‘Ramsays Kitchen Nightmares’ etc and a common thread is that at some point the star will go out on the street and ask customers what they think…the results are invariably enlightening and come as a complete shock to the business owner.

So there’s your ‘Action for the Week’ this week.

Find out what your customers think about you and what could do better.

Go on, ask ‘em and listen. They just might help you make a million…

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