If you are a very small business, or running your own business, it might be difficult to pull off a role as a mystery shopper in your own operation. Your colleagues might be on to you and be on their best behavior. However, you can always walk a mile in your customers' shoes by experiencing your brand from their point of view. Pretend you are the customer and do the following:

• Listen to your outgoing message, pay attention to how you and your employees communicate on the phone and through email.


• Examine your sales and return policies. Are they simple and straightforward, or do you need a degree in rocket science to understand them?


• What is the post-transaction experience like? Once the check clears, are you (playing the role of the customer) forgotten?


• Are your offices easy to find?


• Are your offices pleasant and welcoming? Do they reflect the brand message that you are trying to convey? (creative, corporate and buttoned up, knowledgeable)?


• Finally, recall some of your best and worst experiences as a customer at places where you have done business and learn from both.