Listening in
A weird thing happens when you make a product. You think you understand everything about it — what works, what doesn’t, and what to avoid. This carnal knowledge of your product is blinding. You tell yourself, “I plan to fix that,” or, “I don’t need that feature, so why do my customers?”
Yet, it turns out your customers often know more about your products than you do. They have valuable ideas — sometimes even better than your own ideas. They will flat out tell you how to defeat your competition, and their feedback is the blueprint for making your product amazing.
We recently allowed a customer to create the to-do list for the next version of one of our products. He knew a lot about the product and a fair amount about our competitors as well. The fact is, his ideas were spot on. He gave us direction about how to deliver a unique experience, and then we took it from there. The end result was better than either party had originally conceived.
Of course, we weren’t obligated to implement any of his recommendations. But because we listened, I am certain we created a lifetime advocate — someone who will help spread the word about our product. Saying “no” creates barriers between you and your customers. They won’t want to help you, especially if you insult them while they are trying to offer feedback. If you tell them they are wrong, you will lose the opportunity to gain their perspective.
Pushed too far, customers will choose your competitor or execute their own ideas because you didn’t listen. If people are paying you, they tend to be far more vocal and demanding than if you provide value to them free of charge. Expectations of free services are lower because the relationship does not come with a price tag. When you take money from people, they expect flawless customer service that extends beyond basic support. It is a lot to live up to.
So do yourself a favor. Consider everyone’s opinion to be valid — good or bad, smart or dumb, advocate or detractor. When you do, you’ll find that customers have the utmost respect for your company, and will create strong relationships that will be tough for competitors to sever. While you are not obligated to incorporate their opinions, you should always be willing to listen to what they have to say.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Posted on Apr 11, 2008 by Kevin Milden
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