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In this issue...
Front and Center
Marketing 101
Jerry Thacker
Media Matters
Laura Glessner
Connecting with
Clients by
Communicating the
What and the Why
Thomas A. Glessner, J.D.,
and James Dundas, M.A.
Hands Across the
Ocean: Joining the
Lord in His Global
Life-Giving Work
Kurt Dillinger
Never Give Up!
Suzanne Brown
Operation Outcry
Kathleen Cassidy
Come and See:
Helping People
Come Face to Face
with Jesus
Pastor David O'Leary
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Simple, Easy Client Research
By Jerry Thacker
When I went to school, at some time during the class term most of the teachers that taught me would say something like, "If you don't understand something, please come and ask about it." That's good advice, and it applies to many different situations in life. I'm sure most men would be better off if they would stop and ask—especially when driving in unfamiliar areas! And when it comes to providing pregnancy services, asking questions is also a good thing.
In various areas of market analysis, we have used qualitative focus groups to help us understand what consumers want. The process is relatively simple, but it requires that you ask questions and then shut up and listen. It also requires that you have a relatively thick skin so that you are not offended by the answers.
One businessman, who owned a baby products store, would meet with several of his customers about once a month. After his store closed for the day, he would gather eight to twelve women, give them refreshments, sit them around the table, and talk with them about what they wanted in baby products and services. This allowed him to stay on top of consumer trends and also to meet the people who were important to his business in an up-close-and-personal setting. His business grew into one of the largest chains of baby products stores.
It likely would benefit most pregnancy care centers to get together small groups of their clients to talk about their lives, their needs, and the ways in which the center could help them. Try this with eight to twelve women after the center's regular hours. You could offer incentives for their coming to participate, such as a voucher that allows them to take materials from the resource closet or even the provision of certain medical services or credits at baby stores.
Assure the participants that their comments will be taken seriously and kept confidential. Have them introduce themselves and talk about the babies they are carrying. Your questions should be broad and general at the outset and move toward the narrow and specific as you go along. About ten minutes into the session, the group psychology takes over, and the participants feel free to talk with each other.
If you decide to do these sessions, you may also want to tape record them and get a volunteer to transcribe them to paper. Sit down a little while after each session and go through the transcripts with your highlighter. Most likely, you will identify ideas that you can use to improve your service to your clientele.
What's more, this technique can also be used with pastors, volunteers, youth pastors, and other Christian workers whom you may want to have involved with your center. They will be flattered that you asked them to comment about the needs of folks in your community.
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jerry Thacker, B.A., M.A., is president of Right Ideas, Inc., and Publisher of At the Center. He can be reached at (800) 588-7744 or at contact@rightideas.us |
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