Paul Rossiter
Energy Management Corp.
How well do you know what your customers really want, and why they purchase your services and products? When challenged, I think most owners and salesmen believe they know all about their customers’ wants and needs. After all, that is what keeps us in business, right?
You probably have a good idea about the desires and needs of any one customer, but what about the big picture? How well do you know what your customer base wants as a whole?
For example, is business the same always? Have there been any trends that cause you to do business with your customers differently over the last five years? Do you see any trends in the market that will affect your business over the next five years? How is the attitude for the repair/replace decision changing with your customers?
If you’re like me, the idea of collecting this data from every customer and organizing it in a way that is comprehensive and conclusive can be overwhelming! Some companies out there may have figured it out, but I’m guessing that if we are honest, a large majority of us go off of our best gut feeling. Wouldn’t it be great to have some empirical evidence to compare that feeling against?
Research available to members
Luckily, one of the many perks of being an EASA member is having access to a variety of valuable industry research. A study that was conducted last year polled end users. It gives some great insights in the maintenance and repair practices and trends that EASA customers are facing. It even explored topics such as third party accreditation. I encourage you to review this valuable research that is available in the “Resources” area (under Industry Research) of EASA’s website at www.easa.com. It is available only to EASA members.
Other research available in the “Resources” area of easa.com that you can download and review include comprehensive studies from 2003 and 2008. These studies provide great information and background on how things have changed over time.
Ultimately, it will be up to you to determine what it means for you and your company and whether it resonates with what you are hearing and seeing from your customers. Personally I feel there are a lot of great takeaways that give a better understanding of what goes into end users’ decision making and practices. I encourage you to take a look and compare this earlier research with your own thoughts and understanding of your customer base to make more informed decisions for your company.
Related Reference and Training Materials
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