We’ve all had this happen. We walk into a coffee shop, somebody shouts a welcome. Sometimes eye contact is made, most times not. The service sector is full of manuals and checklists for creating a welcome that replicates the Cheers, “Where everybody knows your name” tag line.

There was a certain amount of authenticity at Cheers. There had to be for a neighborhood business to stay profitable. Your store is most likely a neighborhood spot somewhere too. Remaining profitable is paramount. Competition is everywhere.

Forgetting that your customers have time constraints, their own concerns and unanswered questions can handicap your business growth. After all, they’re your customers. They spend money with you. Some even go out of their way to interact with your business. They are your home court advantage. Treat them that way and they will reward you.

If your store’s default greeting or first contact is, “Can I help you find anything?”, you’re handicapping your growth opportunities. So how do you make the absolute most out of everything you’ve got with the least cost and effort possible? You can start by asking these…

10 Questions To Get Your Customers Telling You  

What They Love About Shopping In Your Store.

Instead of asking, “Can I help you find anything?” — a question with a 50% “No” possibility, why not increase your odds and ask:

1. What Brought You Into The Store Today?  This is direct and to the point. It’s designed for your customers to express their reasons for coming in. It’s an ice breaker. It’s sort of like asking, “What’ll it be?” at Cheers.

2.  What do you like most about shopping at (Your Store Name Here)? This question is to learn about values and relevance from your customers’ perspective.These answers often contain the seeds for new products or services or for improving existing ones.

3.  Do you remember your first time visiting (Your Store Name Here)? Bonus: When was it? This question holds a key answer for you so ask as many of your customers as possible. It helps to calculate their Customer Lifetime Value. It tells you how much you can afford to spend to acquire a new customer.

4.  How did you hear about us? This tells you a bit about your store’s lore. It also relates to your store’s marketing and promotional initiatives. What are your customers paying attention to when it comes to interacting with your store?

5.  Have you ever told a friend or neighbor about us? This question tells you about the degree of passion they have for your store. These are your Brand Promoters. They talk about you to their friends and associates. How much is that worth to your business? See Question 3.

6.  What would you tell them about (Your Store Name Here)? This question elicits a combination of customer values, passion and brand promoter potential. These customers should be in your customer focus group.

7.  What can you always count on (Your Store Name Here) for? This question is designed to learn your customers’ values and their personal relevance. It can tell you about the values your customers share with your store, and by extension, with their networks.

8.  Is there anyone you know who would benefit from knowing about (Your Store Name Here)? This question is designed to discover your most passionate brand advocates. It’s also a gateway to building referrals — if you have an easy process to capture their answers.

9. Are you part of any groups, community organizations or churches who might be interested in (Your Store Name Here)?  

.

10. Bonus Question: Have you read about (Insert Topic Name Here) in the latest issue of Nutrition News?  Nutrition News is a great conversation starter. Getting Nutrition News into your customers hands is the first step to a consumer behavioral sequence that results in a sale.

Those consumer behaviors are Read, Share, Ask, Tell and Buy!. It’s guaranteed to work for your store.