Comments on: Sometimes Your Customers Just Want The Box

By: Hyperion

Hyperion — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:01:25 +0000

I found the last line of your article very profound:

“It’s a lot easier to sell someone what they already want than trying to create a need they never had.”

Not entirely sure why, but I find the need to think about it for 45.5 straight hours.

And since we’re sharing: my first Christmas, as the first Grandchild, it was (I’m told) a big deal for all the insane aunts and un…well, mostly the women-folk. (Not hating; you know it that goes.) A New Year’s Eve baby, I was almost 1 and while not yet conversant in the ways of Pablo Neruda, I could crawl around impressively and babble in a highly significant way. This being the mid-’70s, it was Fisher Price EVERYTHING, with several of the large set-pieces and their accouterments. According to my father I spent the entire day playing with an orange from my stocking.

Selah.

By: Katy

Katy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:20:11 +0000

I also agree with Clair in that in order to do find what the customers want you not only have to do research, but also observe your loyal and potential customers. It reveals the human behavior in its natural context because the person can’t refuse or lie.

To find out what the customer really wants, pose as a mystery shopper and monitor competition through comparison shopping, examine the gap between advertising/promotions and actual service delivery, and identify differences in customer experience across time/location/ service or product types etc.

Make mystery shopping fun!

By: john andrews

john andrews — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:41:08 +0000

Oh boy more SEO Champion spam. That must be the latest SEO technique for rocketing your traffic.

By: SEO Champion

SEO Champion — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:09:06 +0000

Hmm i agree with you i like this type of discussion very interesting..

By: Innkeeper Seely

Innkeeper Seely — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:12:18 +0000

I have to support listening to your current customers to make improvements that keep them in the loop and entice new customers to become repeat customers. More and more often when guests comment about something that they enjoyed about the inn we give credit to previous guests mentioning the “X” would have been nice but not absolutely necessary to improve their stay. Most of the “Xs” are simple and inexpensive (rearranging furniture, magnified makeup mirrors) and some have helped us thrive in a competitive markert (air conditioning, in room TVS/DVDs.) The day we stop listening to guests and making reasonable improvements is the day we had better take down the sign, close the doors, and find something else to do with our lives.

By: David Zemens

David Zemens — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:31:16 +0000

People don’t always say what they do, but they always do what they do.

Absolutely brilliant. So obvious that it is often ignored.

Thanks for Tweeting the link to this comment, too. Sometimes it’s impossible to keep up on the numerous comments and that was a great way to point people in the direction of the comment itself. Very creative.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:16:51 +0000

Lisa-
I agree with you on the fact people don’t always need or want the bells and whistles in a new product. A lot of times they DO just need a slight upgrade or improvement to what they have.

I also think some people have no idea what they need. So many people get stuck in their own daily routine, they forget to see what else is out there. They don’t keep up on new products and services.

Sometimes we do need to suggest somethings more on the wild side to get them thinking about what they use/would use and how they use it.

By: Clair W.

Clair W. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:28:37 +0000

Hello! I am currently a student in the William Allen White School Of Journalism at the University of Kansas. I found this entry to be related to the topic of a lecture I attended last week about the importance of ethnographic research. My professor said, “People don’t always say what they do, but they always do what they do.” While companies can conduct focus groups and ask customers what they want in a product, in the end it is important to observe how people to behave in order to find out what they really want in a product. Research is the key!

By: Nathan Hangen

Nathan Hangen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:37:33 +0000

You know Lisa, you’re right. I often get hung up on the “brilliant features” that I think clients want, but really they just want the basics…they want a playground. I’m glad I am not a developer, because I’d have a hard time not wanting to implement every idea that came to mind.

Good reminder that it’s not always about us, but the customer is the one that pays the bills.

rocketsauce

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:34:25 +0000

@nutmeg: Surely I agree with you that it depends on the product/service. And you should NEVER ignore your best customers in ANY case.

@Lisa I didn’t say current customers aren’t important…what I mean to say is: as far as product development goes, focusing on new customers is where the return comes from. That’s why when Google, knowem, and Starbucks updates/launches a product, the NEW features are right there at the top while improved/fixed features make up a majority of the small print. Also: you don’t have to sacrifice usability to add features…just ask Apple.