10 questions executives must answer to maximize customer experience investments

OctOber 2014

10 QuestionsExEcutivEs Must AnswEr toMAxiMizE custoMEr ExpEriEncE invEstMEnts

this tool enables marketing and business executives to evaluate corporate

messaging effectiveness. by answering these strategic questions you’ll have a

better understanding of the challenges and opportunities your company faces

with respect to delivering compelling and differentiated messaging throughout

the customer experience.

310 Questions executives Must Answer to MAxiMize custoMer experience investMents

Q1: How well do you believe the messaging used in sales/marketing materials and customer conversations map to

your strategic business drivers and product/service offerings?

q Not at all

q Very little

q For the most part

q completely

based on your answer, what can you do to ensure your messaging more accurately reflects the strategic vision and

direction of your business?

Q2: when was the last time you audited/assessed the accuracy and consistency of your corporate messaging across

your core sales and marketing materials?

q Within the last 6 months


q Within the last year

q Never been done

based on your answer, what corrective action will you take to align your messaging with the current state of your business

and ensure it still resonates/connects with your customer’s needs?

A strAteGic AssessMent


Q3: How often are you frustrated when you overhear conversations with customers/prospects or see sales/marketing

materials that don’t convey the story you know you should be telling?

q Never

q rarely

q too often

q All the time

based on your answer to this question, what specific actions can you put into play that will ensure this doesn’t happen

in the future?

Q4: when was the last time your employees were formally trained on your messaging and how to deliver your

company’s story in customer and sales situations?


q Within the last year


q Never

based on your answer, what can your Hr, marketing and business executives do to ensure employees understand and

absorb the messages you want to convey in the market?



Q5: How would you rate your messaging in the following key areas?

cLeAr: quickly resonates with prospects/customers and clearly describes who you are and what you do.

q Strong

q Adequate

q Needs significant improvement

cOMPeLLING: presents a compelling reason why your prospects/customers need your product/service and clearly

describes the value you deliver.

q Strong

q Adequate


cONSISteNt: key messages are consistently used in prospect/customer situations and communication vehicles.

q Strong

q Adequate


UNIQUe: clearly explains your point of difference and why prospects/customers should choose you over the competition.

q Strong

q Adequate


based on your answers, what action should marketing and business executives take to improve your messaging in each

of these areas?



Q6: Do you have someone in your organization or a partner that “wakes up every day” with the mission of

developing and managing how your message is utilized across all communication channels and throughout the

customer experience?

q Yes

q No

List the reasons why you do or do not feel you should have an executive or strategic partner that is responsible for this

critical aspect of your business?

Q7: How would you rate your company’s ability to deliver a clear, compelling and consistent message across the entire

prospect/customer experience? (initial contact, demand generation, the sales process and post-sale communication)

q extremely effective

q Needs improvement

q extremely ineffective

based on your answer, what specific action or investments must you make to create a more compelling

customer experience?



Q8: Does your company follow a formal, repeatable process for auditing, assessing and aligning messaging with

the buying process and customer journey?

q Yes

q No

If you answered no to this question, and you feel this is critical to business growth, what action will you take to ensure a

formal process is put in place?

Q9: Do you have the resources and expertise to develop messaging that resonates with your target audience and

clearly differentiates you from the competition?

q Yes

q No

based on your answer, how can you secure the resources/expertise required to ensure your company develops and

consistently utilizes messaging that puts you in the best possible position to increase market share (for instance: hire a

dedicated resource, engage a strategic partner, etc.)?



Q10: Based on your answers to all of these questions, how important is it that you invest more time, resources and

dollars to improve your company’s messaging?

q Need to make it an executive level priority and budget item this year

q Need to focus more of my attention on messaging development and delivery

q At the very least I need to audit and assess our messaging to see if it is helping or hindering business growth

LISt ANY OtHer ActION IteMS, tHOUGHtS AND cONcerNS tHAt cAMe tO MIND AS YOU cOMPLeteD

tHIS ASSeSSMeNt:

tHAnK You.

by completing this assessment, we hope you have a better understanding of how well your company is positioned to

leverage messaging as a strategic weapon in the marketplace. If you have additional questions and you would like to

speak with one of our messaging experts please email [email protected].


© copyright OnMessage, Inc. 2014 | All rights reserved.

It’s more than our name. It embodies our singular purpose and mission … to help our clients create a more cohesive and compelling customer experience.

OnMessage is a messaging infusion company with a proven model for helping you develop a clear, compelling and consistent message. Our methodology aligns your company’s strengths and true points of difference with customer needs to create a messaging platform that elicits optimal engagement throughout the customer experience. This methodology, when combined with our employee training, sales enablement, content development and brand integration services, enables you to achieve a higher return on every connection you make.

For more valuable and informative resources that can help you improve your customer’s experience, go to: itsonmessage.com/resource.

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10 questions executives must answer to maximize customer experience investments

Marketing