Some questions are easier to answer than others, but sometimes the trick is in asking. If you want to understand what your customers need or want, ask them, but this is often easier said than done. For instance, do many business people have time to call all their customers, arrange a meeting time, and then extract from them what they want or need? More often than not, these customers will be busy with their own business, and be more interested in wrapping up the call quickly than sharing their goals. 

Surveys
Thankfully technology has advanced beyond the simple task of dialing, as we can now email our customers short notes with quick surveys that make getting feedback from them easier and faster. These surveys should be short, provide dropdown answers for fast selections, and offer other one-click response methods that allow them to provide you feedback quickly. For example, Link2forms offers the following question formats:

• Free form text in a single sentence or an open memo field (great for capturing more data from responders, but requires too much effort from them to be reliable)
• Dropdown answers (great for quick click answers, and can be enabled for multi-select as needed)
• Checkboxes are self-evident and fast to answer, as are number fields
• Sliders and ratings both allow a responder to quickly answer with their mouse
• If you must use Text fields, be sure to use answer hints within the field so responders don't have to pause before replying. Too many pauses in completing a form can lead to higher than necessary abandonment

The point is to be quick and surgical, so you get the highest probability of a response from each question. And keep the survey short.

Reporting
Once you've harvested the data, the next step is to analyze it. Gathering data without having the tools to report on the results is like dumping all the hard-fought data into a sock drawer. You know where it all is, but it's difficult to gather any insights from it. As you can see from the illustration on the right, the results can be analyzed with Link2forms in charts,  graphs, KPI, and rankings.

Prospecting with Calendar Links
Similarly, if you want to setup a meeting with a customer or prospect, calling or playing email ping pong is easily replaced by one email with a calendar link. Imagine getting an unobtrusive and short email from a known vendor that suggests scheduling a meeting to catch up, and then providing the means to book it. Often as not the invite will be disregarded, but for those that you've intrigued, it's fast and easy for them to respond.

Link2calendar allows them to simply click on the calendar link to check your availability, and then book the earliest time that works for you both. 

Display your calendar link in your email signature, website, social media pages, or any other digital presence you manage, and then watch as your calendar magically fills up with customer appointments. 

You can't overcome your customer's email fatigue, as we all suffer from it, but you can learn to prospect more intelligently. Using Linktivity products like Link2forms and Link2calendar allows you to engage your customers in a more modern and convenient way that yields the richest responses. Click HERE to sign-up for a free two-week trial for one or both of these products, and raise your prospecting game.