Some of the following questions require only one answer while others ask for all that apply. For the most accurate scoring, please follow the instructions carefully.
Employee Productivity
1. Which type(s) of training programs do you offer employees? Select ALL that apply:
a. New employee orientation
b. Computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
c. Position or skill specific (such as sales or accounting)
d. Time management
e. Professional development
2. Which of the following tools are used by one or more of your employees? Select ALL that apply:
a. Pager
b. Internet
c. E-mail
d. Laptop computer
e. Desktop computer
f. Wireless telephone
g. Day planner
h. Voice mail
i. Video conferencing
j. Conference calling
3. Check the statement that bests characterizes the frequency of your communications efforts. Select only ONE:
a. We update employees on our business once a year.
b. We update employees on our business once a quarter.
c. We review business activities as a group each month.
d. We hold a weekly review meeting with employees.
4. Check the statement that best describes your company’s work methods. Select only ONE:
a. Most of our work is conducted by individuals.
b. Business successes result from the work of one individual.
c. We form teams to focus on key business problems.
d. We assign teams to improve our major business processes.
5. Check the statements that apply to your business. Select ALL that apply:
a. We conduct an annual planning cycle.
b. We establish goals and objectives on an annual basis.
c. We regularly review our goals and objectives during the year.
d. We consistently reach our established goals and objectives.
Customer Loyalty
1. Which of the following customer feedback interfaces are used on a semi-annual or more frequent basis (quarterly or monthly)? Select ALL that apply:
a. Informal customer calls
b. Warranty cards
c. Formal satisfaction surveys
d. Complaint cards
e. Toll-free number(s)
f. Focus groups
g. Market research
h. Customer interviews
i. Sales & order entry
j. Trade journals or magazines
2. Which customer-focused positions or functional groups are formally present within your organization? Select ALL that apply:
a. Media or Internet monitoring service
b. Sales representatives or independent agents
c. Customer service representatives (Post-sales support)
d. Sales and marketing management
e. Market intelligence (Competitive intelligence)
3. Check the statement that best represents your customer interfaces. Select only ONE:
a. We gain most of our feedback through personal interaction.
b. We database customer profiles and feedback.
c. We identify our most profitable customers.
d. We communicate customer trends internally.
4. Check the statement that describes your use of customer feedback. Select only ONE:
a. We track customer satisfaction levels by product or service.
b. We understand which products are most important to customers.
c. We segment customers by purchasing habits.
d. We develop most new customer offerings based on feedback.
5. Check the statements that apply to your small business. Select ALL that apply:
a. We provide our customers with special pricing programs.
b. We reward loyal customers in a variety of ways.
c. We know how much it costs to attract and retain customers.
d. We tell unprofitable customers we don’t want their business.
Profitable Sales
1. Which of the following sales programs are used on a semi-annual or more frequent basis (quarterly or monthly)? Select ALL that apply:
a. Telemarketing
b. Direct sales
c. New product promotion
d. Give-aways
e. Coupons/pricing promotions
f. Advertising
2. Which sales performance metrics do you regularly track? Select ALL that apply:
a. Total units sold
b. Average price per unit
c. Gross margin
d. Gross and net profit
e. Revenue per marketing dollar
f. Revenue per employee
g. Revenue per invested dollar
h. Cash conversion cycle (days)
3. Check the statement that most represents your product and/or service strategy. Select only ONE:
a. We review our current product/service mix at least annually.
b. We have a formal process to develop new offerings.
c. We actively seek outside input when developing new products.
d. We develop one or more new product or service offerings annually.
4. Check the statement that describes your sales evaluation process. Select only ONE:
a. We establish monthly sales targets and goals.
b. We track and monitor sales levels each month.
c. We communicate performance against sales targets each month.
d. We provide incentive pay for individuals with sales responsibility.
5. Check the statements that apply to your small business. Select ALL that apply:
a. We launch a new sales program at least quarterly.
b. We formally discontinue offerings which become obsolete.
c. We are known in our marketplace for innovation.
d. We have gained a major account as a result of a new offering.
Scoring
Tally your points by category. Do not combine the category totals. For each category:
- Give yourself 1 point for each item selected in question No. 1 and No. 2.
- In question No. 3 and No. 4, give yourself 1 point for each (a) response, 2 points for each (b) response, 3 points for each (c) response and 4 points for each (d) response.
- Give yourself 5 points for each item selected in question No. 5.
Evaluating employee productivity
2 – 12 pts. Your company underutilizes its No. 1 asset — human capital. When employees are unclear about goals and objectives, and lack the training and the tools to perform their jobs, a company suffers. Remember, an employee’s time is perishable and you want each one to be efficient and productive. Reinvest in your investment — provide a laptop computer for employees who travel, subsidize professional development activities and take the time to establish firm goals and objectives and review them regularly.
13 – 24 pts. Congratulations — you are on the right track, so keep moving forward. Be on the lookout for ways to increase profits, reduce the sales cycle and improve the quality of products and/or services. You may find your employees need more training, tools or communication. Also, emphasize value — what has worked well in the past — and repeat the process, improving each time.
25 – 43 pts. Your work methodology is stellar. However, when it comes to training and technology, be careful not to overwhelm your employees. Evaluate what your employees can and cannot do without in order to perform their jobs efficiently. Try to maintain a perfect balance of gadgets and applications for each employee. Focus on innovation and renewal by sponsoring internal workshops to foster new ideas.
Evaluating customer loyalty
2 – 12 pts. It’s time to get personal. Customers can be fickle, and when no one is paying attention, they may
look elsewhere. Gain loyalty by understanding the value proposition you offer customers. Ask them by launching a customer feedback mechanism, which doesn’t have to be fancy. Start small, work out the bugs and then build on your successes.
13 – 24 pts. You know your customers; now embrace them. Analyze feedback and look for ways to enhance your customers’ buying experience. Develop a deeper understanding of your customers’ likes and dislikes. Let them know you appreciate their loyalty. Acknowledge your most profitable customers by developing a reward program.
25 – 43
pts. You have embraced your customers, but be careful of information overload. Measure the effectiveness of your information data sources and look for redundancies in feedback. Continue to perfect your information-gathering methods and look for innovative ways to leverage the data, then go implement. Look for opportunities to develop custom solutions for customer problems or needs, and identify potential areas of product and/or service expansion.
Evaluating profitable sales
2 – 12 pts. Unnecessary expenses may be eating away gross margins. Evaluate the success of your current product and/or service offering and marketing initiatives. Make a determination on those that are not performing. Try taking a sales or marketing idea on a limited test run, since you never know what new need a customer might have. Also, make selling the job of everyone within your organization.
13 – 24 pts. Look to track the performance of sales efforts by marketing programs. Are you attracting the right customers? Or are they the unprofitable customers your competitors don’t want? Focus on understanding which sales efforts bring in the most valuable prospects. Analyze your current sales compensation program, and remember, reward profitable sales, not just sales volume.
25 – 43 pts. Kudos! Your company is on top of things, so keep leveraging your brand. Evaluate your profitability measures and focus on identifying areas of opportunity, such as partnering with suppliers or end-users. Analyze your major cost centers, such as customer support, and focus on developing ways to up-charge for the activities that erode your profit margins. Sprint Business commissioned this measurement index, which was developed by Primaxx, an international management consulting firm, in conjunction with the creators of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.