 Most business people would agree that giving the customer what they want is important for success. The problem is many customers often really don’t know what they want. If Henry Ford had listened to what people wanted he would have given them a faster horse. The reason customers don’t know what they want is because they generally don’t know what might be possible.
Consumers react to the world as they know it. If they don’t know that cassette tapes are possible they will want better eight-track tapes. If they don’t know that CD’s are available they will want better cassettes. If they don’t know that “MP3 players” are possible they will look for better CD’s.
Doing market research that ask customers what they like or don’t like about a product or service might help you figure out how to make a faster horse but it probably won’t generate a big idea like the automobile. In the development of new products you don’t want to make the best solution for yesterdays problems based on last years technology.
In duck hunting if you shoot at a duck you will likely miss it by the time you get your shot off so good hunters shoot a little bit in front of the duck to hit where the duck is going. In marketing you want to lead the market and design your products or services for where the market is going. Just be careful not to get too far ahead.
To really succeed in new product research and development you need to understand not only what the customer likes and doesn’t like about today’s product but also need to understand why they are using the product to begin with. Good marketers focus their product development efforts on the need or benefit the product or service is delivering against.
By understanding what the customer is trying to accomplish by using the product you are in a much better position to be able to deliver against that need. Marketers are usually very good at figuring out what customers want and the better marketers can tell you why they want it. Even the best marketers however are like customers in that they don’t know what they don’t know. This is why it is so important to have active participation from manufacturing, engineering and researchers in the product development process.
With marketing’s help in understanding customer usage and the insights from engineering, manufacturing and research regarding what might be possible by using new and evolving technologies, innovative solutions that don’t exist today are possible. Don’t be afraid to bring George from engineering or Sally form manufacturing out on an occasional customer call. Include your technical and manufacturing people in your focus groups or other customer research activities. Let them see and hear first hand how your customers are using your products (and those from your competitors) Let your researchers and manufacturing people see, learn, and understand how your products are really being used.
If you deal through distributors or other middle men, go to their customers to learn how they are really using your products and what need or benefit they are really trying to meet. Don’t just take your distributors word for it. Your distributors are just like your customers in that they really don’t know what might be possible. When you are dealing with your customers ask a lot of “what if” questions. You will be amazed at what can happen when the people who really know what might be possible meet up with the people who pay the bills.
About the Author – Scott Francis is President of Topline Development LLC a Strategic Marketing Consulting Group that provides helps companies determine how they can make the most amount of money with the least amount of resources. To learn more about Topline Development LLC visit their web site at www.ToplineDevelopment.com or contact Scott directly at scott@toplinedevelopment.com. |
