The feedback. How it helps and how to ask for it

I assume you already know what feedback is, so I’ll skip the definitions.

The point is, it’s important and you need it.

Why?

👍 To make sure you make the right decisions.

• you will know what others think about the thing/situation you need feedback on
• if you have a business you will have a competitive advantage because that feedback can be a big differentiator
• if you have an audience you will know better what people’s needs are and you will know what content to make to be more relevant to them
• if you don’t have enough experience in an area, or feel stuck, external feedback from the right person can help you a lot

🫡 And it’s also important to offer it yourself.

Why?

• giving feedback means that whoever asked for it wants to take your opinion into account
• your opinion can influence a person/business’s decisions and be in your favor (eg how about if your phone company took your suggestions into account? wouldn’t it be great to see updates you needed?)
• it feels good especially when you see that your opinion mattered and you also contributed to someone’s success
  … and you are doing a good deed. Maybe you’ve heard of Karma 🙂

Who to get feedback from?

That’s a very good question to ask yourself all the time. My guess is that it depends on the context:

If you have a business:

• get feedback from your customers if you want to improve your product/service
• get feedback from your team if you want to improve communication or certain internal things

If you have an audience:

• get feedback from your followers if you want to know what topics are of great interest
• get feedback from your followers if you want to know what you can improve on your content

If you want to learn something:

• get feedback from your mentor
• get feedback from your teacher
• get feedback from your peers who are in the same context as you
• get feedback from those who have already been through it

The examples can go on.

How to get feedback?

There would be several options:

• online surveys: if you have a larger audience and want less information
  
  • *you can also with more information, but people don’t really have the patience to fill in if there are more than 10 questions.
• group interview: if you have a smaller audience but want more information
  individual interview: if you have time

Interviews can take place by phone, video conference or in person.

What to ask?

Probably one of the most interesting things I have left with from college is about “marketing research”. We learned 6 months to do marketing research and then we also had a theoretical and practical exam based on it. In fact, my college thesis was also marketing research itself. As well as the thesis for the graduation of the master’s degree.

I had marketing research to do and I needed to collect data to have a minimum of 100 completed surveys. It’s important to have more data so you can make better decisions. The more the better.

How do you do a marketing research?

This subject of marketing research is very complex and I don’t want you to get the impression that it is easy. But I can give you a summary.

Step 1.

Defines research problems and objectives. What do you want to do the research for in the first place? What problem do you want to solve?

Step 2.

Determine the research methods: interviews or questionnaires.

Step 3.

Collect the data. If you do it by questionnaire, a simple Google Forms is enough. If you want something more advanced, you can use typeform or tally.so as platforms.

If you are interviewing, record all discussions.

Step 4.

Analyze the data. Here you can do a statistical and empirical analysis depending on which method you chose.

Step 5.

Interpret data and results. Draw relevant conclusions.

Step 6.

Present the recommendations for achieving the goals and solving the problems from step 1. Then start implementing the solutions.

This process helps you make informed decisions and adjust your marketing strategy according to market realities. In essence, marketing research is the compass that helps you navigate the complexities of the marketplace.

Look, for example I’m doing a little research now based on this newsletter. After you and other subscribers fill out the form, I’ll interpret the data and make some decisions. That’s why your opinion helps me, because in the end it’s for everyone’s benefit.

Another example, at ContApp (accounting SaaS platform).

It’s no secret that we have ContApp as a client in my marketing agency. This summer we started a series of researches to improve the experience on the platform. Based on the feedback we will make appropriate decisions, prioritize them and implement them strategically.

Who not to get feedback from?

• From the opinionated givers of the internet
• From ChatGPT (I’m not saying that ChatGPT or any other AI tool isn’t good – it’s very good – but if you don’t have experience with a domain you don’t know if what chatGPT says is 100% correct or appropriate; so there’s a risk here)
• From people without experience on that subject, whether they are parents, friends, colleagues…
• From those who do not know your context and the variables of your situation well. This is very important, because you may tend to ask for the opinion of some entrepreneur or person of great influence and authority and see that it is not quite an appropriate opinion because it does not fit your context.

Here’s a big red flag I’m raising.

Don’t believe everything you see on the internet or hear from others. Even if we are talking about big influencers/entrepreneurs/gurus. They give a lot of good advice on the internet, but not all of it will suit your needs or your situation.

For example, it’s no use following Grant Cardone’s advice on how to become a millionaire if you’re buried in debt and don’t have the ability to understand what that man is saying. We know well that each person sees things differently, based on their own perception.

So be careful here.

conclusion

Take feedback into account because it’s among the most important things that the competition can’t copy. When you start doing implementations they will ask why the hell are you doing this? And they will be confused. By the time they catch on and start copying you, it will be too late.

Stay strong!

Andrei Isip