In any aspect of your life do you generally have more success if you wait for people to approach you, or if you approach them?

Of course the true answer is when you take the initiative to interact with people you are far more likely to be successful.

So with this in mind why did the Sam’s Club I shopped at today believe that people would take time out of their busy schedule to sit in front of a laptop and complete a survey?

Even with the chance of 5 people winning a shopping card, I watched for almost 30 minutes and no one stopped to complete the survey.

About 6 years ago Powerfeedback started highly encouraging our clients to move away from “pull research” (i.e. kiosks) and instead engage the audience with “push” technology. Back then “push” meant using Windows based Tablet PC’s whereas today we use iPads and iPod Touch devices as well as other handheld data devices.

In our studies clients who allow us to engage their audience for their opinions experience at least a 117% greater response rate than those who just hope people will walk over to computer and complete a survey.

If you truly want client/prospect/customer feedback, actively engage the audience with an active role versus a passive approach.