“Hands up if you’re serious about your business? Who likes getting more sales ? Who likes referrals?” I asked these questions last week in a room full of business owners. Needless to say all the hands went up.

“So, who’s done a mystery shop of their own business?” All the hands went down.

Businesses small and large spend thousands of dollars and time on marketing and selling. But very few check their major customer interfaces/touchpoints for congruence with their core brand promise. In short they may be wasting their efforts.

If your brand promises something from the experience of dealing with you, but somewhere along the way fails to deliver, your customers will go elsewhere. You’ll not only lose customers, but you might lose your reputation and profits along the way.

What’s a customer touchpoint? They’re things like;

• Your sales people
• Your website
• Your reception/receptionist
• Your business card
• Your physical address (storefront or business)
• Your answering service
• Your on-hold music
• Your sales or ordering process (on-line or off-line)
• Or any other way that your customer has of engaging with your business.

Why these more so than the product/service you’selling? Because you probably already work hard enough on that. However, if there’s an issue with any of the above, no matter how hard you work on your sales and marketing, you’re probably losing as many customers as you gain.

For example – an author/speaker client of mine, a super smart, vibrant woman had written a cutting edge book and is a wonderful speaker yet when you looked at her website and business cards they looked as if you were dealing with a run of the mill professional services organisation (pick any one) with no real call to action, nothing exciting – just bland – or what I call “mid professional services blue”.

Yet, her website was often the first port of call for anyone checking her out prior to hiring her. It virtually stopped people in their tracks, made them question her credentials and possibly leave to look for someone else (you can and should track this with google analytics). Her re-designed website now reflects her brand values and prospective customers no longer question her right to be a leader in the space in which she works.

Maybe the next time you’re thinking of a sales or marketing drive – check out some of your other customer touch points and make sure they really align to your brand promise (and your USP) before you start.

Or better still have someone unconnected with your company ‘mystery shop’ purchasing from you. The information you gain might be priceless.