Here are the questions

I want you to answer before

you ask your customers. . . 

Why do you believe customers buy from you and not someone else? 

What is unique about what you are and what you sell?

Now, answer that same question without using all those feature, function, benefit stuff you just answered the question with.  This is the version nobody else can say.

At your very best, what kind of company are you? 

What type of company do you want to become?

What's going on in your industry right now?  Are things good, bad, neither? Does your current marketing consider what's going on?

What have been your most successful marketing efforts?  The worst?  Why?

What have you been wanting to do with your marketing that you haven't done?  Why? 

Questions to ask your customers. . .

You're not allowed to ask any additional questions, expect the two follow-up questions, until all of my questions have been answered (it's that owner distortion field thing I mentioned earlier).  First: talk to "new" customers that have made the decision recently to buy from you for the first time.  The process they went through is fresher.  And the process (what they did and how they felt) is what you're after.

Talk to customers that reflect the type you want more of; not a cross section.  And no favorite customers.

Customer Questions-

What was going on inside your company when you made the decision to (look for a company/product like this or change vendors for a ___________ product/service?).

Which companies did you consider and how did we all compare?

What ended up being your buying criteria?

Why did you end up buying from us?

How did you find us?  If that hadn't worked, how would you have looked?  If you still hadn't found a suitable option, how would you have looked?

How do companies like mine market to people like you?

If you were in charge of our marketing, how would you get the attention of people like you?

Follow up questions:

What do you mean by that?

Can you give me an example of when __________ ?

Tell me more about that (Okay, so this isn't a question, it's still a great follow-up).

Don't settle for general answers.  "We ended up buying from you because of your great service" tells you nothing.  "What do you mean by great service?"  If their answer is still general, ask "Can you give me an example of when you recognized something we did as great service?"  Then ask for another example.

Now, what does it all mean?  You may or may not have a sense of how to answer.  And that's okay.  At the very worst, they'll give you hints regarding how to change and improve.  At the very best, they'll tell you exactly what you should do. 

You can hire me to help you interpret what you hear.

Or find another consultant who can help you.  But do something.  Different output requires different input.

When was the last time your marketing had a Check-Up?