Why asking customers can lead you astray

 

If I had to boil down the biggest problem businesses have, it would be this.

Listening to people.

I totally get it.

It's compelling when a customer tells you what would make them buy your product, a staff member tells you what would make them happier and more productive, or a stakeholder tells you what would make they sign off on your idea.

Straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

We rush to send out employee engagement surveys and customer questionnaires. We run polls and focus groups. We listen with both ears when our boss tells us what they need.

But there's another saying, isn't there? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

So while people might tell us they want something, they may not end up buying or using it.

This is the problem of the say vs. do gap and to my way of thinking, there's only one one to solve it.

In this short video I explain how data, surveys and behavioural research fit together, and why relying on what people tell you is a terrible idea.

 

So before you and your team rely on what you're being told, as sensible as it may sound and as compelling the anecdote may be, hold your horses.

If you want to really have impact this year, focus less on the say and more on the do.

 

 

Wondering what to do? Just do this.