If you must invoke a nondisclosure agreement to protect your company during a product test or an initial roll-out, there is no reason that you cannot turn this customer interaction into a positive experience. You actually have a number of opportunities during the signing of an NDA to gather information and create a relationship with a customer.
The Information Grab
When it comes right down to it, the signing of a nondisclosure agreement is an information grab. You are taking information from a potential customer, hopefully, chosen for your test because he or she fits an important buyer’s profile. With the right sign-in form, you can actually expand this information grab to include other demographic information that will be helpful in determining how to more precisely target your roll-out.
Do not be afraid to ask for age, address or any other personal information that you may feel is pertinent to your study. You can modify your sign-in form to create a logical need for each of these data points. For instance, you may need to mail the customer something after the test or focus group is over. If you place this narrative into your sign-in form, you will be much more likely to get that information from your customer.
The Introduction
The way that you invoke your nondisclosure agreement also gives you an opportunity to introduce yourself as a trustworthy brand. One of the best ways to build trust with a customer during the signing of an NDA is to make your privacy policy known to the customer at that time. You will be able to partially distract the customer from the fact that he or she is giving you personal information, and you will also put forth the agreement that you are not going to use this information in an immoral fashion. The result is that you are more likely to get more information, and your potential client will trust you more down the line.
The Protocol
In order to maximize the amount of information that you can get during an NDA, make sure that your sign-in form is streamlined. Do not ask too many questions in a row, and try to put all of the information on one screen if possible. If you need to reduce the text in order to fit everything in, doing so is more advisable than making the customer or test subject scroll down just to fill in more personal information.
You may also want to test your sign-in service yourself. If you are uncomfortable putting your information into your own sign-in mechanism, then you may want to tweak some of the options until the sign-off becomes a natural part of sitting down in front of the computer or tablet. Never underestimate the amount of information that you can glean from a potential customer if that customer is comfortable with you. Conversely, never underestimate how quickly a customer will close off if you are too pushy or unprofessional with your information queries during an NDA signing.