Part 1: Get Inside Their Heads

So far I’ve given you some examples of companies that have come to dominate their respective markets by “getting” how their customers think as well as some evidence that developing a level of customer understanding that can truly inform smart decision making isn’t all that easy. So what’s the answer? How do companies find ways to “resonate” with their customers? And how do they use that understanding to create true competitive advantage?

In my consulting practice, we say it’s first about getting inside the customers’ mind… learning to see, as it were, with their eyes. If you think about most market research, customers are typically treated either as “data points” [satisfaction surveys] or “specimens under glass” [focus groups]. Customers are typically shown a series of features and functions and asked to make abstract, out-of-context judgments about them. “Here’s what our product does. Do you like it? Would you use it? What would you pay for it?”

Imagine being able to internalize their perspective… instead of asking “what will they do?” ask instead, “what would I do?” It reminds me a bit of the movie Being John Malcovich… it’s a lot easier to direct customers to act in ways you’d like them to if you can see the world exactly as they see it….if you can know with some confidence what choice you would make if you were in their shoes.

In my next post I’ll share with you some useful practices for being able to do precisely that.