Isn’t getting a brand new, fresh-faced customer GREAT!? Someone, who is interested by what you do and is seriously considering letting you and your business help them.
But, how often do we ask: ‘how did you hear about us?’
The answer to this question is important for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it may give a hint about how you treat that potential customer. Say, for example, they were a referral from an existing customer – you’d want to know that, right? It gives you a genuine connection with that lead, and also, I’m sure you’d want to say thanks to the referrer.
Secondly, you get to learn which piece of marketing is working. Whether that’s social media, a flyer drop, poster or a print ad with a magazine like us. Either way, it’s useful to know which is producing results.
There is a caveat, though. Sometimes your leads just won’t remember!
If you imagine a situation when someone saw a poster about a Zumba class, outside the village hall. Then, they heard a friend talking about how good the instructor is, while out for a drink. Finally, they booked a space on next week’s class from the website, sat in their lounge. If the website had a ‘how did you hear about us?’ box, or they were asked when they walked through the door of that first class, that person is perfectly likely to say ‘the website’ or even generically ‘Google’. The newbie Zumba convert recalls the last point in a line of discoveries, which does rather ignore the other two impactful elements to that journey to becoming a customer.
This isn’t unusual but should not stop you from making that one-question ask, every time, as part of your normal sales process. Because, over time, you will begin to see patterns emerging, which can inform your future decisions about marketing spend.
