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.