Tools & Strategies For Interviewing Your Customers
...to learn what you need to write GREAT sales copy – by Stephen Mahaney

Last month we spoke about the importance of 'talking to your customers' and understanding the 'six steps' that lead to a sale in our article: The Magic Key To Writing Effective Ad Copy.

As a continuation of sorts, let's focus on some of the strategies and tools that are available to get the job done.

Working the strategy of talking to your customers.

We established in our preceding article the importance of getting your customers to help write your sales copy. We illustrated that, to be effective, you must seamlessly 'join that internal discussion' they (the customers) are having with themselves as they traverse the five stages of a sale. Having laid that foundation, it now makes sense to discuss the available tools and techniques you can use to help you accomplish these tasks.

The telephone (no laughing!)

Although about as low-tech as it comes in these days of automation-can-do-everything, interviewing customers immediately after a sale has become a lost art. Question: do YOU do it? ...or sure, you know it's a no-brainer ...you know you can ...you've even thought about doing it – but do you? Chances are, you said no ...so before you roll your eyes at the simplicity of the suggestion then listen-up – you have much to gain.

First of all, timing is everything. If you are going to do it you must perform this interview immediately after they buy. Why? ...because that is the ONLY time the real reason for purchasing will be fresh in their mind. After even as little as 15 minutes has passed, you risk hearing only a shadowy rendition of the real reason – and that will skew your research. Why? ...because, mentally, they've moved on to something else and your call may be viewed as more of a intrusion than a help.

Your objective should be to determine what problem (in the mind of the customer) they perce...