One Survey Question

Detailed study determines survey question that is the best predictor of future purchase behavior.

We're sure that by now, you've learned about the famous study written up by the Harvard Business Review on Market Research. Frederick Reichheld proved his theory that there is only one question that you need to ask customer's in order to predict loyalty. That question, "Would you recommend our product or service to a friend [colleague]?" has proven to be an accurate predictor of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat buying behavior.

According to a recent article in Business 2.0, there is now proof that the theory works in real life. Intuit, a software company known for its tax preparation software, TurboTax, recently asked customers this question and responded based on suggestions to improve sales by 27%.

Intuit asked customers if they would recommend their software to others and discovered that a significant number of customers said no. Their reluctance to recommend the software was based on an arduous rebate process and trouble with the software filing procedure.

Prior to the following year, Intuit streamlined the rebate process and rectified the issues with the filing procedure. As a result, Intuit say a 6% increase in the number of people who would recommend the product and a 27% increase in unit sales.

As more companies take the initiative to ask their clients, "Would you recommend us?" and respond appropriately, the more powerful Reichheld's philosophy becomes.

Provided By Marketing Scoop