To get answers in days, even hours, try online surveys. Instead of waiting weeks for results, you can get immediate results with one of many online services.
   Best of all, many are free or inexpensive for small projects.
   Marketer Neil Greer of Impact Engine, Inc., turned to an online survey to find out why people who’d tried his product weren’t converting.
   Sales were good and his team was capturing most low-hanging fruit, but others were getting away. Within 30 minutes, he got 100 responses from an online survey. Over time, the response rate settled at 20 percent, said marketingsherpa.com. Here’s how Greer got these results:
   Keep it short. You’ve got even less time with people who didn’t buy – after all they have no loyalty or reason to help you. Greer asked only five questions.
   Drill down to stuff that matters. To get the most out of each survey, Impact Engine used a reverse funnel. Where each question flowed from the previous answer. For example, if a prospect said it was too expensive, the next questions elicited more details.
   Results: Greer discovered prospects wanted more specific examples of how products addressed their business needs. Armed with this insight and others, Greer made a range of changes that lifted conversions to 7 percent and increased sales by 600 percent.
   You can test this idea by using a free online survey offered by www.surveymonkey.com or www.zoomerang.com or for a free guide to preparing online surveys, visit www.marketingprof.com.