Sahuarita economic development specialist urges small businesses to use customer feedback as a "mirror"

Alex Magallanes, economic development specialist for the Town of Sahuarita and lead of the Grow in Sahuarita program, told listeners on the town's Grow in Sahuarita podcast that feedback is "the mirror your business needs," and urged small businesses to collect and act on customer and peer input to build trust and grow.

Magallanes opened the episode by defining feedback as information that shows "what's working, what's not, and what your customers truly value," and cited Microsoft research, which he said found that "77% of consumers view brands more favorably when they actively seek out and apply customer feedback." He framed that statistic as a reason for businesses to solicit and respond to input.

He laid out a practical framework he calls the "3 R's of feedback": receive, reflect and respond. On "receive," Magallanes advised business owners not to react defensively but to "thank you for sharing" and listen openly. On "reflect," he said owners should ask whether the feedback comes from their target customers and look for recurring trends before changing strategy. On "respond," he recommended making visible, communicated changes so customers know their input mattered.

Magallanes described several concrete ways to collect feedback: monitoring social comments and reviews, maintaining a Google Business profile, running short surveys (Google Forms or Typeform), using QR codes or text links at events, and asking customers directly after a sale or service. He also encouraged peer conversations and mentoring as complementary sources of insight.

Using local examples, Magallanes said the town tested a quick post-Fiesta Sahuarita survey that produced useful ideas and suggested businesses use similar event-driven checks. He invited listeners to bring products to town events to test demand and to work with the Grow in Sahuarita program to turn feedback into action plans.

Magallanes closed by urging business owners to treat feedback as collaboration rather than criticism, saying that acting on input "builds trust and loyalty" and can turn customers into advocates. He asked listeners to share podcast topic ideas and to contact the Grow in Sahuarita program; contact details were offered on the episode and via the town's program channels.

Magallanes's podcast provides practical, low-cost steps for Sahuarita business owners to collect and apply customer input, emphasizing measurement, iteration and visible follow-up as the keys to turning feedback into growth.