Everyone knows that I’m a big research guy, with a love of focus groups, dial testing and one day, hopefully, ethnography.

Recently someone asked me what my favorite tool for getting feedback from an audience was.  It made me think . . . what was the device, survey, etc. that captured the best consumer response data?

The answer is pretty simple.

Sales.  Dollars.  Dinero.

How many bucks you got in the box office?

Want to know if your show is resonating with audiences?  Are you selling tickets?  Cuz if you’re not, then it’s not.  Sorry, but you wanted to know.

Now . . . notice that I said “Want to know if your show is resonating with audiences?” as opposed to “Want to know if your show is good?”  It’s a very clear distinction.  Because just because your show isn’t selling any tickets doesn’t mean it’s not good.  And the reverse is also true . . . just because your show is selling tickets doesn’t mean it’s the best quality project on the planet.  Selling or not selling just means whether or not the show is what the ticket buyers at that time want to see . . . for whatever reason.  And sometimes consumers are cuckoo.  (You’ve all seen something that is doing buckets of business that you think is crap, right?)

Getting audience feedback as a creator and as a marketer requires you to check your ego at the door, and analyze the one thing that will unequivocally tell you whether or not your show is working . . . the box office.

People are coming or they’re not. And sure you can come up with all sorts of excuses why you’re not selling, from time of year to the amount of product on the street to the President had ice cream for dinner and tweeted about it.

But if you’re not selling, then your audience is telling you something.  Whether you like it or not, listen.

(Got a comment? I love ‘em, so comment below! Email Subscribers, click here then scroll down to say what’s on your mind!)

FUN STUFF:

– Looking for a job, or want to tell the world about your upcoming show?  Do it in our forum!  Click here.

– Win two tickets to see Dames at Sea on Broadway!  Click here.

– Follow Spring Awakening‘s journey to opening night!  Click here to read The Associate Producer’s Perspective.