If someone asked me my number one piece of marketing advice, I would give them this answer 93.4% of the time:
Listen to your customers.
Now, some of you do that. But where the actual value resides is in the way you listen.
This truth was brought to my attention after an author suggested that “listening to your customers” is lousy advice.
Instead of telling someone to “listen to their customers,” the author suggests asking this question instead:
“What particular customer insights would equip you to make the decisions you seek to make?”
That is why I love questions. They keep evolving to get to a better “answer.”
The rudimentary question was, “{Why} Should I listen to my customers?” Which morphed into the following question: “How do I listen to my customers?”
The final (better) question, “What particular customer insights would equip you to make the decisions you seek to make?” is where you unlock the most value.
The above question also helps you frame your customer conversation questions around the insights that will drive improvements—separate the noise from the signal.
Marketing Insights ⚔️
- Engage in at least one customer conversation a week (this is difficult but rewarding)
- Figure out the 2-3 insights you need to improve your marketing
- Remember: The advice is to listen to—not talk to—your customers; focus on asking unique questions that reveal quality insights (listening)
The insights you need to take your marketing to the next level are not in your board room. Instead, they are in the minds of your ideal customers.
How do you source insights to improve your marketing—what’s your feedback loop?
🧠 // JO