Chapter 7What Could Be More Inspiring Than Being Your Own Customer?
ACCORDING TO THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF MARKETING, LAUNCHING A NEW PRODUCT BEGINS WITH IDENTIFYING THE TARGET CUSTOMER’S NEEDS. YOU THEN SHAPE THE PRODUCT TO FIT THOSE NEEDS. BUT BECAUSE YOU’RE OUTSIDE THE CUSTOMER’S HEAD LOOKING IN, YOUR PERCEPTION OF YOUR TARGET’S MIND IS SUBJECTIVE AND MIGHT BE COLORED BY YOUR OWN HOPE FOR A SALE. TIME AFTER TIME, A NEW PRODUCT FAILS BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS’ REAL NEEDS UNTIL THEY EXPERIENCE THE ACTUAL PRODUCT, AT WHICH POINT YOU MIGHT DISCOVER THAT THERE ISN’T A FIT.
One solution—although it’s not available to everyone—is to become a customer yourself so that you’re looking out instead of in. When a marketer identifies with customers’ ...
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