Business Owner Questionairre

I have the pleasure of chatting with individuals who are making a living on their own, or own a small business that employs a dozen or fewer people. A lot of them are overwhelmed by the process of making their business appear more prominently on the internet. Usually when I first meet them and we start working on their online marketing strategy, I ask them some of these questions in order for me to tailor my suggestions to their specific situation.

So come on over—I’ll make some tea for us, and we’ll talk about the following:

Discussing the Big Picture

• What is your “Measure of Success”? (At what point will you know that this project has been a worthwhile undertaking?)
• What is your five-year plan? Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What is your ideal career path? Name a person that you admire and would like to emulate.
• Besides what you do for a living, what are some other natural strengths of yours? Here are some ideas if you’re stumped:
  • Researching/learning, designing/sketching, writing (storytelling, quick wit, clear communication, opinion-making, historical viewpoints, ideation), oration/public speaking, photography/videography, networking, teaching, event planning, analyzing/strategizing, goal-setting/focus, consistency/discipline, empathy, leadership.

Discussing Your Business

• What do you do?
  • What services/products do you offer?
  • Which service/product is your specialty?
  • What is your favorite service/product to provide?
  • If you could only choose one service/product to provide, which one would it be?
  • Which service/product requires the least amount of effort but still brings solid return?
• How’s business?
  • How are you currently getting leads to your business?
  • How many phone calls and emails do you get a day/week/month?
  • Do you wish it could be busier?
  • Do you find yourself with too many customers?
  • Do you find yourself with customers that are a poor fit for your business?
• What are your pain points?
• SWOT Analysis: What is your business’ greatest strengths, weaknesses, oppotunities and threats?
• How many people work at your company?
• Do you currently have a marketing or advertising budget?
• Who is your customer?
  • Describe a typical customer. Age, Gender, Income, Education, Career.
  • Who is your favorite customer?
  • Which group of customers represents the most revenue for your business?
  • Which customers are the most high-maintenence?
  • Describe the typical buying cycle of a customer. Step me through how they find you, how they compare you against their other options, how long it takes for them to make a decision, etc.
• Who are your competitors?
  • How do you stand out against your competitors?

Discussing Your Current Online Strategy

• Do you have a website?
  • Who is currently managing and/or updating your website?
  • How important is your website to your overall business strategy?
  • Are you happy with it?
  • Do you feel that it is performing well?
  • What do you like most about your site?
  • What do you like least about your site?
• Do you know anyone personally that can code, design, or is good with social media?
  • Are you interested in learning any of the above skills in order to save money by not having to hire a specialist to do those things for you?
• What online tools are you currently using for promoting your business?
  • Do you have accounts with any of the top social media platforms?
    • Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, YouTube, and Four Square?
  • Do you use any Google products?
    • Google Pay-per-click, Google Analytics, Google Webmaster
  • How are you currently handling your email?
  • Do you have an email newsletter? What e-newsletter platform are you using?