38%+ of OBC clients have a need for additional products and services
It’s true; on average 38% of OBC clients have a need for additional workspace and services. This need can be uncovered via a simple semi-annual client satisfaction questionnaire. I like to use Survey Monkey to administer the questionnaire – but other tools are available as well.
When I create questionnaires I build them with two objectives. The first is to underscore the operators’ commitment to the client and the second is to uncover additional revenue opportunities.
Historically, when I capture results from the questionnaires, the satisfaction level is typically quite high. I also include a question to determine whether the operator is adding value to the clients’ businesses. I get a huge smile if I can uncover this statistic because it reinforces that the operator is providing much more than a “box” to work from, the operator is adding value / contributing positively to their clients’ businesses (a good sound byte to use during the sales process to get out of the price death spiral)! Another interesting stat is that in most cases 97%+ of clients would refer the operator to a friend. What I enjoy asking is what the client would say when making the referral. You would be surprised by the answers. Perhaps the most powerful golden nugget is the number of clients that have a need for additional workspace or services that the operator was not aware of.
How do your clients’ feel about your operation? Are you adding value to their business? What would they say when referring your business to a friend? Is there demand from your clients for products / services that you are not aware of? When you create / distribute a questionnaire with the right structure and questions you’ll be sure to find out all this and much more.
Andrea Pirrotti is a ROI-driven marketing maven with proven successes in creating, executing, monitoring and optimizing marketing programs in the business center category.
From of 1999 to 2005 Andrea worked for The Regus Group and ultimately served as Vice President of Global Marketing in charge of 750 locations across 60+ countries. She was the marketing lead and member of the executive team that fueled the firm’s growth from $200 million to $1 billion in revenue over a six-year period. During her tenure she crafted the marketing strategy for Regus’ IPO, the firm’s product, location and country launches, bankruptcy (and early emergence) and acquisitions. She has been consulting in the industry ever since.
In addition to her experience in the business center world, Andrea served as the outsourced head of direct sales and marketing for Helicor where she re-launched the StressEraser, a FDA regulated biofeedback device that eliminates the harmful impact of stress on your body. She exceed sales and costs per acquisition targets while achieving a 100%+ increase in sales volume year on year.
While at Antares, a private equity firm with $5 billion in real estate assets, Andrea reduced marketing costs by 62% while increasing leads by 35%. Notable press placements include: VH-1, Fortune, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The New York Times, Alpha Magazine and Deal Maker.
From 1991-1999 she headed up marketing for the Technology, Communication and Entertainment tri-state group at Ernst & Young LLP, Graduate programs at the Princeton review and served in Product Management roles at WarnerVision (now Warner Home video) and Gramavision records.
Andrea received a BS in Communications from Boston University and an MBA in Marketing from Pace, Lubin School of Business. She lives in Fairfield, CT with her husband Johnny and their newest addition to the family – baby Johnny and Sophia.