As a researcher turned entrepreneur, one of the struggles I face in my business is that research has a bad rep. People think it is expensive, time-consuming, and values numbers over people. They think it’s something that is just for universities or big firms or people in labs with white coats. 

The truth is – as a business owner – you probably do research all the time and being able to do it well is the key to a successful business.

Simply put, research is asking a question and creating an intentional plan to answer that question. 

Do you ever wonder if:

Your clients/customers have positive experiences with your business?

What you could do to improve customer experience?

How to tell the story of your business in an authentic, compelling way?⁠

Answering any of those questions requires…. You guessed it: Research. 

No matter what type of business you run – product, service, experience, you are constantly researching not just so you have quick stats and stories to share for marketing but also so you can make decisions about what to start, stop, and expand. 

The key to quality research – to getting you the best information to make decisions and share your story – is asking quality questions.

Here are 3 tips you can use to start asking better questions today.

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1. Be specific. 

Sometimes even simple words need additional clarity. There are a lot of words that we’re familiar with that people may not have shared definitions of. Don’t leave room for guesswork or misinterpretation – be very clear about what you want to know.

Here’s one of my favorite examples: “satisfaction.”  I never asked if people are satisfied with a service or offer. Because I don’t care.⁠ I don’t care because I find any variation of the word “satisfaction” to be unhelpful in evaluating my work. ⁠

People may define satisfaction differently than I do, and I don’t know what factors they are considering when they are answering my question. If someone tells me they were satisfied – or unsatisfied – with my service, generally, I can intuit that they think I did a good (or a bad) job but it doesn’t give me any specific insight into why or what changes I should consider.

Personally, what I want to know when I work with people – what helps me to make better decisions about my business are questions like: Was this service USEFUL? Did I make something EASIER for you? Did you have FUN?

Next time you’re tempted to have someone rate their satisfaction, pause. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: What do I really want to know? What is information I would be able to take action on (not just feel good or bad about). Ask that. 

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2. Give options.

Comment boxes or “open-ended” responses where people can write or type anything they want are difficult and time-consuming to interpret. It may not seem overwhelming with 5 or so people writing responses but imagine once you have 20, 30, 50, 100+ people filling out your questionnaire – finding themes in all of that information is going to take a major investment.

On top of that, open-ended questions deter some people from answering because they are more work to answer (as compared to just ticking a box).

I love closed-ended questions – think multiple choice, select all that apply, or a drop drawdown menu – because they are quicker and easier for people to answer and they also give you shareable information – think: what percentage of people come to you because their biggest challenge is work-life balance?

As you review the questions you are asking in your business, ask yourself: Do I NEED a written response? Will I be able to analyze and use the information I get from written responses? Could I more easily get this information by providing simple categories for someone to choose from?⁠ ⁠ 

Oftentimes, you can make an easy switch to a closed-ended questions, making the experience better for customers and you!

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3. Test your questions out with people before using them.

I have a vivid recollection of reading a survey question about school climate – that had been used in cities across the country – aloud to a third grader who promptly asked me: well what does it mean to belong? Before diving into an explanation, I felt a sense of panic. This question is being used in schools and programs around the country, and it is unclear what is being asked.

One of the most useful (and humbling) activities you can do before you start collecting information for your business using a survey, quiz, or feedback form is to find one of your ideal clients and ask them to walk through and answer the questions aloud with you.

In research, we call this doing a “cognitive interview” or “cognitive lab. I recommend doing a minimum of 1 but ideally at least 2-3 of these to benefit from different perspectives! 

This process will give you insight into how people are thinking through the questions you are asking – what does and doesn’t make sense? It allows you to get even more clear and specific with your questions and tweak the final product so it is simple and straightforward (and perhaps even enjoyable!) for people to answer your questions! 

There are a lot of easy tweaks you can make to your business’s surveys and forms that will dramatically improve the quality of information you collect. Make research your business’s superpower. Ask quality questions that get you the information you need to make key decisions and create snappy, shareable data to help with promotion. 

Wanna learn more? Get my FREE guide 7 Common Mistakes in Creating Questions and How to Solve Them.