The final step in your marketing evaluation from the external perspective deals with your competition. You must have an active competitor surveillance program in place. If you customer makes a move, changes their message, or launches a new product, you need to be the first to know. Any move a competitor makes can affect your [...]

Step 4 in your external perspective evaluation returns to your customers. Step 1 discussed the need to open communication and listen to your customers, now I am recommending a customer satisfaction survey. I believe there is only one question that you need to ask, “Why would, or wouldn’t, you recommend our company to others.” That’s [...]

Step 3 in the assessment of your company from an external perspective deals with your company’s touchpoints. Touchpoints are the interface of a product, service or brand with customers, employees and stakeholders. They are any point of contact between your company and your market. These include voicemail, Web sites, emails, faxes, customer support, shipment inserts, [...]

Step 2 in gaining an external perspective of your company is speaking directly with key influencers of your company. These people are outsiders that know your company well. They are not customers and they are not competitors - often these people are board members, reporters, consultants, company lawyers, etc. Interviewing these people about your company [...]

The first step to gathering an external perspective of your company comes directly from your customers. Your customers have a relationship with your company, products and services. As a result, they are in a unique position to provide intimate feedback about your company. There are many ways to get this information from your customers, but [...]