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Hearing the Voice
What does the Customer
Want?
What does the Customer Want?
Sometimes companies mistakenly conduct interviews with the
intention of gathering new customers for existing products.
"If the goal is new product development, you shouldn't
be sending researchers into the field to debate price or performance,"
Goozé says. "This should instead be a time for
rigorous listening. Ask open-ended questions that are designed
to reveal genuine needs and feelings among your customers.
And then listen to the answers."
Ideally, a cross-functional product development team -- including
representatives from manufacturing, engineering, operations,
marketing, etc. -- should conduct these interviews. This way,
critical functional areas arrive at a keener understanding
of what the end-user needs and the environment in which they
would use the intended product.
Of course, not all companies can afford to do this. So whether
you hire an outside marketing firm or use limited resources
to conduct one-on-one customer interviews, these are the types
of questions you need answered:
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Who are our customers? |
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What is their problem or need? |
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How will the proposed new product answer
that need or solve that problem? |
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Does the new product offer advantages
over what the competition has? |
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What factors will go into the customer's
decision to purchase the new product? |
Webb also advises soliciting opinions beyond your existing
customer base. "What about people who use your competitor's
products? What about lost accounts? What about potential customers?
If you can find a way to reach these people, you'll significantly
broaden the scope of information collected -- with the result
being a greater understanding of how to meet customer demand
for value, reliability and distinctive performance."
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