Testing
Your Product
Using the input of your
potential customers and mixing it with the other research information
you have gathered, you are now ready to develop a prototype product
or service. The prototype allows you to "test" your product with potential
customers. Product testing can range from the very complex and extensive
to a simple, do-it-yourself effort.
Your testing procedure
depends on the product or service you plan to market. Some products
may require more scientific testing, using a research lab, for instance.
If your product may have an impact on the environment or raise concerns
about human safety, thorough and objective testing is very important.
You can find assistance through private testing labs or university
research facilities.
Testing can mean simply
allowing potential customers to try the product or service and then
asking them for their responses. Information you may want to gather
from potential customers during this testing process includes:
- How they liked the product.
- What would they change
in the product.
- How does the product
compare to what they now buy and use?
- Would they purchase
this product? What would they be willing to pay for it?
- Where, typically, would
they purchase such a product?
- How often would they
purchase such a product?
Entrepreneurs can conduct
their own testing and ask these questions of potential customers themselves.
The advantages of conducting your own testing are that you hear directly
from the customer, you have the opportunity to ask additional questions
and it is less expensive. Remember that the value of testing is in
the honest feedback you receive from customers. If you are conducting
your own research be open to the responses and don't try to defend
your product or service when the customer has criticisms or suggestions.
Marketing advisors and
consultants can help you to conduct product and service testing. The
advantage of hiring a marketing consultant to assist you with this
process is that they can be more objective about what they hear. They
will be less likely to try to convince a customer of the value of
the product, and the information received may be less biased. Their
expertise may suggest other questions and information which you may
not have considered.
Whether you conduct your
own testing or hire consultants, depends on the geographic location
of your potential customers, your available time to conduct the testing,
your skills in questioning and documenting responses, and your budget.
Testing your product or
service before you begin full scale production or marketing can keep
you from making costly changes down the road. Your product or service
must be designed and built to meet the customers expectations and
needs - not yours. The customer will decide ultimately the value of
your product.
Getting feedback from your
customer should become an on-going part of your marketing plan. Customers'
needs and wants change. You need to be open to changes and innovations
in your product to meet these changing needs. Being responsive to
the needs of your customers is extremely important in today's marketplace.
Make a commitment to stay in touch with your customers, to consider
their needs, and to frequently ask for their feedback for as long
as you own your business.
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