#341: Don’t listen to your customers

I have been heard to shout loudly that you must listen to your customers. However, like all of us, I have a dark side. My dark side is very aware that you should not always listen to your customers.

Surprise, surprise, your customer is not always right.

There is a catch. It takes insight to know when they are wrong and guts to go against what they think they want. As Henry Ford pointed out, if he had listened to his customers he would have built a better horse and buggy.

And then there’s the guy who realized that customers did not want an overnight package delivery service because they could not imagine that it could work. That guy gave us FedEx.

Market research and customer relationship management help us to learn about and learn from customers. And yet, sometimes success comes from not listening to them. But be warned, not listening does not mean ignoring.


I’m James McIntosh at nonsenseatwork.com

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