Knowing What You Need to Know

by Achal M. Achal

An important part of any sales call is gathering information. It is not enough to get a name and phone number. In today’s data-driven, analysis centered world, you want as much information from your customers as possible. This will help you determine the traits that typically lead to a sale and drive your marketing efforts.

This, in turn, leads to more qualified leads and higher sales rates as you get in touch with people who are most likely to want your product.

However, as web designers have already learned, there is a downside to data collection. The more information you try to grab from your customers, the more likely they are to give up on you. As such, it is important to limit your data collection to what you really need to know. Overreach, and your customers will get frustrated.

What this constitutes will, of course, vary from business to business. Rather than focusing on specifics, this guide will sort out information into broad categories and recommend when you should attempt to gain that information from your customers.

Identity Information

This is the information needed to make sure the person you are speaking to is who they say they are. Fraud can be very damaging to your business and your reputation, so preventing fraudulent signups is paramount to your success.

Generally, this includes things like an address, a social security number, a name, and a phone number. New software being developed by such companies as CognitoHQ is helping to streamline this process, however. Investing in software that streamlines your identity verification process will hasten transactions and reduce signup abandonment.

Transactional Information

This is the information strictly necessary for making the sale and getting the product to the customer. Generally, it is just payment information, though depending on your business more information may be necessary. A valid shipping address, for instance, is important if you are dealing in physical products, but if you are more service or software oriented then you will probably only need a billing address.

Demographic Information

This can help your marketing efforts. Things like age, sex, and more can help you understand who you are popular with and who tends to reject your products.

Note that some of the information that falls under the heading of demographics (like income level) are dangerous to include in a sales call as they’re generally considered private. When considering what demographic information you want, make sure you ask yourself how important it is to you. While it might be nice to know if you are strangely popular among certain income brackets, industries, or political affiliations, if you have no desire to tie your brand to a certain group there is no reason to risk alienating your customers trying to find out if you are appealing to them.

Optional surveys after the transaction is closed does a better job of capturing this sort of information, though age and sex represents demographics data that should be included in your identity verification process.

Satisfaction Information

Best done several weeks after the sales call is completed, this is information that tells you how the customer feels about your product. Spacing it out gives the customer more time to enjoy the product, though an earlier contact can help determine if something is wrong with your sales techniques as the calls will be fresher in the customer’s mind.

At the basic level, you only need to know if your customer has any problems with their products or how they’re treated by sales or customer service. On a broader level, you can solicit feedback that can help improve your product in the future.

Information is Power

Knowing as much as you can about your customers will give you the tools you need to shape your product now and in the future. It will be essential to ensuring your success both at the sales level and at the marketing level.

However, people are notoriously skeptical, and trying to solicit too much information all at once will drive them away. Getting the bare minimum of data, and figuring out ways to fill in the blanks without needing to bother your customers, will go a long way towards both your information gathering campaigns and retaining customer loyalty.