The Grow Show: 7 Steps to a Successful Customer Focus Group

Conducting client focus groups is a great way to learn about what customers look for in a service provider. To be successful, they should be carefully planned out.

Listen to the Harvest Group's third installment of the Grow Show podcast series here.

1. Do Your Homework: What do you want to get out of the meeting?

• Figure out what you're trying to learn from these folks.
• Why did they pick you and why do they stay with you?
• Make a list of good questions and conversation starters in hand.

2. Find People

• Keep focus groups to a group of 6-8 targets and 3-4 of your folks.
• Try first with existing clients, then try for non- clients.
• Attain a good mix of clients – new ones, established ones and especially ones that have more potential business.
• Make sure you don't have a direct competitor or anyone working in your industry there.

3. Choose a Nice Place with Quality Food and Service

• Make it a nice place, a really nice place, maybe even a current job you want to showcase or a place that the targeted people would like to go just to go.
• Don't host the group at your facilities.
• Make sure you are in a separate room with few interruptions.
• Send out some very nice quality invitations.

4. Pick Your Moderator/Facilitator

• Pick someone who is neutral and comfortable leading a discussion.
• Take notes – lots of notes.
• Shy away from recording and video which could cause some stress.
• Sessions should last about two hours at the most.
• Lead the session yourself only if you're sure you can appear unbiased and are comfortable moderating a lively group discussion.
• Your moderator should make sure everyone participates.      
• While you don't want the conversation to wander aimlessly, don't panic if you're not sticking to your list of questions.    
• Be flexible and let the exchange flow. Someone might bring up an idea you hadn't considered.

5. After the Session, Thank Them

• Give them a nice token of your appreciation, like a gift certificate to a nice bookstore.
• Let them know you will be sending out the notes from the meeting.
• Get a read from them on how they thought it went.

6. Discuss Results and Implement Where Possible

• Do a debrief immediately after the meeting with your people.
• If there is any needed follow-up, do it quickly.
• Collect your notes and put them in one source for future reference.
• Analyze your findings and look for themes and ideas that stood out in the discussion.
• See how you can use info gained to guide your product/service development of your sales, marketing and customer service strategy.
• Be prepared for any negative feedback about your company or industry.
• Listen. Remember you wanted people to be honest.

7. Follow-up

• Send out the notes that were taken along with a nice thank you card.
• Consider forming a client advisory group if you liked how this went.

Sample Client Focus Group Questions from the Harvest Group

Determine Key Areas of Importance

• How can we better serve your needs?
• What should we do differently?
• What are our strong points?
• What are our specific opportunities for improvement?

General Questions

• How has the market affected you both positively and negatively?
• When you hear the word “landscape” what does that bring to mind?
• As a property manager, what keeps you awake at night?

Communication

• Other than a survey, what are the best ways to determine your level of satisfaction?

Operations/Service

• What noteworthy qualities does your best service provider possess?
• Are there any services that we don’t offer that we should consider offering?
• How can we make your job easier?
• What are some of your current pain points?
• Fill in the blank: You know your landscaper is doing a good job when ….
• How does the Green Movement influence your industry/business?
• How do you see the Green Movement affecting the landscape industry?

Marketing

• What are the best ways for a vendor to conduct effective marketing?
• Do Lunch and Learns have a value to you?
• If so, what subjects in the landscape field would you like to learn about?
• What have you found to be the most effective vendor marketing techniques?

Budget and Financial

• How do you suggest we deal with price increases when they are needed?
• What would you suggest as an approach on big-ticket landscape improvements?
• Would some sort of ROI proof/verification be helpful?
• Typically we are not the low cost service provider by as much as 10-15%. How would you suggest we overcome this?
• We are considering 3-5 year landscape management plans that include irrigation upgrades, tree care programs, plant life cycle, and sustainable plant conversions along with budgets. Is there a value for this type of planning? Are there projects that would lend themselves to this long range planning? How would you suggest we approach this topic?

Other Possible Questions

• What would cause you to terminate a landscaper and look for a new one?
• How would you describe our brand?
• In what way does our company add value for to you as a customer?
• What is the property managers’ biggest frustration when dealing with landscape companies?
• Describe how the ideal, perfect landscape company would work with you.
• If another property management company asked you for a landscaper referral would you tell them about our company? If not, why?