Do you know the public's perception of your customer service? Do you know what your salespeople are saying to your customers? Are you certain that your customers are as anxious to continue shopping in your store (and refer their friends to do the same) as you would like them to be?

These are interesting questions, and the answers can mean a lot for the growth and prosperity of your business. It's certainly worth your time finding out the answers.

All too often, retailers get so overwhelmed with their own personal goals for success (e.g., beautiful displays, great deals from their vendors, new state-of-the-art computer and register systems) that they soon become oblivious to the only real proof of success: satisfied customers. Let's look at this. First, let's find out what the public or our existing customers think about the following areas of our store.

" Customer service " Selection of merchandise " Prices " General atmosphere " How they found out about your store

This information can be as easy to solicit as placing pre-printed questionnaire cards throughout your store, or giving self-addressed, postage-paid cards to each customer as they leave. You can either ask them to rate each of the areas on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being Outstanding and 1 being Poor, or you can have blank lines where they can write general comments on each topic and an overall evaluation of your store's service with a "Tell Us What You Think" headline. You know, there are a lot of principles about business that make sense. They range from "give the customer what they want" to "nobody wants to shop in a store where the salespeople are too pushy." In all of the questions recommended above plus the questions you create, we are getting the customer's feelings, not yours. It's not that your opinions or those of your employees are not valid. It's simply that the customers are the folks with the money, and the goal should be to get them to want to take it out of their wallets and give it to you.

This may be an old story, but it's true. You go to a trade show, buy a huge quantity of what you think will be the next hot item only to find it's still on your shelf a year later. You say something like "I really thought my customers would like that." The entire point is to find out what your customers want and give it to them. The only way I know of getting this information is to ask for it.

How to Conduct a Survey

First, you need objective information. This rules out employees conducting the survey. Go to your local college or university and inquire at the marketing or advertising department. Tell the head of the department that you would like their help to conduct a survey on customers' perceptions of your store in relation to the items listed above. They may choose to help you develop other information that you may want or simply use the information that you give them.

You may want to offer a $250 scholarship (or whatever is comfortable for your situation) for the finished presentation. A little incentive goes a long way with the students, and the quality will be that much better.

With a carefully prepared checklist, they will approach customers before and after coming into your store. By conducting the survey at two different times, valuable information can be gained. The questions can simply lead to the overall perception the customers have on each of the topics listed previously. Even if the students give you a finished report, ask to see the individual questionnaires. It is helpful to see what individuals said, as well. Customers may mention specific items that you do not carry that they would like, or may bring your attention to the fact that your store is difficult to locate due to poor signage, or praise you for the quickness in handling orders at the cash register or other information that is helpful in improving your overall service standards.

For your in-store survey of sales performance, you can use the students or hire people on a per-job basis. Sometimes it's a good idea to have a blind mystery shop where the shopper doesn't know who's sponsoring him or her. This ensures that their observations won't be colored by anything. Bring these people into your store (or another location) as mystery shoppers without alerting your staff to what you are doing. Provide the mystery shopper with a checklist of situations that the shopper should create. Sample situations are listed here.

1. Casually stroll into the store, and notice how long it takes for a person to greet/approach you.

2. Immediately walk up to and examine a particular instrument in the store and see if the "merchandise approach" is used.

3. Ask a salesperson for a specific brand that the store does not normally carry to see if the salesperson asks probing questions for suggesting an appropriate alternative.

4. Inform the salesperson that you are merely inquiring about the item at this time and will not be ready to make a buying decision for a few months. Note whether or not the salesperson attempts to force the sale or simply sell you on the store and their service.

5. Ask the salesperson for more technical information on a specific instrument. If the salesperson doesn't know, notice if they attempt to find the answer elsewhere.

6. State an objection to buying the product such as "The price is too high" or "I think I'll shop around," to see if the salesperson can overcome it and close the sale.

7. State a buying signal such as "This is just what I wanted" or "I really like this model, brand, style," and notice if the salesperson will then suggest additional items.

8. If the purchase is not made, make a note on whether the salesperson made you feel like you would want to come back.

9. After a purchase is made, note whether the salesperson cements your sale.

In each of these cases, it may be necessary to alter the specific instance to suit the needs of your store; however, the general idea behind each case will solicit the kind of information you are looking for. Have fun with it; pose as many typical scenarios as possible to bring about the evaluation you want.

For instance, if you are having a particular problem with salespeople explaining how the financing or credit plan works, inform the shoppers to ask about it and see how well it is explained. Or, perhaps you have a "Skater Sam" salesperson who selects his customers only after determining the feasibility of making a large sale. In this case, you could have different shoppers shop the store with various price ranges in mind to see how helpful "Sam" is to each of them.

After all the surveys are completed, and the college committee prepares a summary, share the results with your staff. Let them know that this is what customers are saying. Praise the positive results, and ask them for ideas to improve the poorly rated areas (if any). The truth about your store's service may be a surprise to them as well as you, so why not let them in on it. Why not let them become involved in the awareness and continual improvement of the service you offer? Why not let them help to create the best service? With this in mind, the truth can only help.