Survey your prospects

Surveys serve a dual purpose: they gather your prospects' and customers' thoughts, and they boost goodwill by showing customers and prospects that you care about what they think. A brief survey posted on your favorite discussion group can help you better understand customer needs, gauge reactions to a product name or idea, or provide valuable information about you versus your competition. To conduct a successful survey:

* use yes/no or multiple choice questions;

* use 20 or fewer questions so the survey doesn't take much time to answer;

* explain who you are and why you're doing the survey when you post it, and promise to post the results;

* set a response deadline;

* offer to reward respondents by entering them in a drawing for a prize.