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Be a Mystery Shopper

@sculpies
/
fotolia.com

There’s one thing that everybody in every company can do to help make the company successful: be a mystery shopper.  Test how easy it is to do business with your company.

A couple weeks ago I tried to make a reservation for a golf package on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.  I went to the web site and called the direct number for the hotel on a Saturday evening.  I was told to call back between nine and five on Sunday.  I tried another number on the web site and got an answering machine with an announcement that I needed an extension number to reach anybody.

On Sunday I called the direct number again. A nice young lady told me that at that number I couldn’t make a reservation earlier than seven days prior.  It didn’t state that on the web site.

The point is, the Robert Trent Jones Trail spends millions on advertising.  But it took me three days and four telephone calls to place my order.  I’m sure I did it wrong.  But I’m of average intelligence, and if I had trouble placing an order, so do a lot of other people.  

An ambitious bellboy or a caddy could do what I did.  Then tell the boss that it’s confusing and difficult to do business with them.

 

 

John Malmo is a marketing consultant who concentrates on helping business owners grow their businesses with effective marketing. To reach Mr. Malmo, hear and read more of his commentaries, or ask him a direct question, go to AskMalmo.com.

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