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The best way to learn is learn from failure. Ask the people who have dumped you and not come back. If possible, ask those people who bought your product once and but never did again.
Ask lost customers, if they will talk to you. They did not see the value in the product. They did not like your service. There was something wrong with the purchase that caused them not to try it again. Hopefully this is only a few people.
What do most of your customers want from you that you do not provide? Not everyone likes ice cream, but it is still a great product for a large number of potential customers. For those who do not like your product, find out what these people know and what they are thinking that you do not know. It is important and may be easily fixed if it cuts too deeply into your market.
Questions to ask of ex-customers:
- What was the main reason you did not buy this product or service again or a second time?
- What was missing from the product that caused disappointment and the decision not to purchase it a second time?
- What change or item added or subtracted to the current product might make them think again, and buy it the second time? (i.e. did not taste good, product did not work very well, product too heavy to handle, product is not the right color, service provided was inadequate or not well performed, product breaks easily around kids, product is slightly overpriced, hard to find in stores).
- What about the current product lets them down or disappoints them?
- Does our product eliminate a problem or an annoyance in life for the buyer?
- How does this product make things easier, more fun, and a little more enjoyable or reduce or eliminate a previously tedious and boring task?
- What are the benefits of this product? Versus the features?
- Do the display cases that are used to show our product look cheaper than the product or the opposite?
- How do the display cases look to the average buyer? How do they react?
- Does the packaging enhance the perceived value of the product or diminish it?
- When you see the packaging, does it clearly picture how to use the product?
- Is the packaging clear and does it convey the necessary message for even those who do not speak English?
