When you are gathering testimonials and creating customer case studies for your organization, it can be helpful to ask questions of the people who use your products or benefit from your services on a regular basis. For your favorite customers and clients, this can be done in a brief interview. Be sure and choose clients/customers who have already expressed gratitude, excitement, and enthusiasm about how your products or services have enhanced their lives.
Preparing for an interview begins long before the actual conversation. Following are some tips, so you can be ready and successful during those interviews.
- When scheduling an interview, give your client/customer three options of times that work, and a deadline for getting back to you.
- Have your list of questions prepared ahead of time.
- Send your list of questions to your client/customer in advance, so they have time to look them over and consider possible responses.
- Give your client/customer the option of answering in writing.
- Conduct interviews in a quiet place, free from noise and distractions.
- Record the interview to capture accuracy of quotes.
- Always ask permission before recording an interview.
- Ask one question at a time; combining multiple questions into one long question can be confusing.
- Whenever possible, ask questions that are open-ended; this means they can be answered with more than “yes” or “no.”
- Remember to thank your client/customer for their time both before and after the interview.
Now that you know what to do, you could get in contact with some of your favorite clients or customers and gather their results stories. Getting information about the impact of your products and services will help you promote your organization to others, because you’ll have success stories to share with new prospects. These interviews will help you gain confidence, learn how you’ve been successful in the past, and be equipped to talk about the results your organization could provide in the future.