Get Deep With Your Customers

Relationships, relationships, relationships...

In today's business to business world, customer loyalty needs to be fostered and built upon everyday.  Your customers have too many options (locally and abroad) in any industry to fill their needs, and you can't afford to lose one customer due to a missing or dwindling relationship.  Here are a list of questions to ask your customers that will help you get to a deeper more meaningful level and to better understand them.

1) If you were to walk out into your warehouse right now and found out that you're out of (your product, i.e. widgets), how would that affect you?  Has this happened?

2) What is your sales strategy?  How do you hold your sales team accountable?  Do you advertise?

3) How many other (your industry, i.e. packaging) suppliers have you dealt with?  What have your experiences been like?

4) How do your customers react to late orders?

5) How would you rank the following things in terms of importance to you?  To your company?  Quality, price, lead time and customer service...

6) How would you describe a GREAT supplier?  Do you have any?

7) What would you do if you lost your top two customers?  What do you do to keep them loyal?

8) Your biggest customer calls right now and needs an order today... How do you respond?  What lead time do you normally offer?  Why not faster?