Most of us can agree that if we really knew what our customers wanted to buy our business would be a lot simpler.  We could eliminate products and services that are not wanted and focus all of our attention on what people want to buy…need to buy.  There are many companies that supply systems that can conduct the type of research to answer the age old question, “What does my customer really want from my?  What do they want to buy?”  I might suggest the better question is, “What problems are my customers experiencing so I can generate a valuable solution?”  Most companies have great systems to conduct this research, some are not so great.

 The most prolific systems in use are the many survey companies in the world.  They will craft questions that attempt to get the respondent to tell us what they think without guiding them into answering what we want to hear.  They send survey forms out to a representative sample of the target audience and wait for the responses to flood in.  Then they complete a comprehensive analysis of the results to generate statistically significant representations of the general population as a whole.

One drawback to these systems is that they can be a bit difficult to interpret.  If you and I both answer 3 to a question they can not be sure that 3 represents the same thing to both of us.  If they find the average of a response is 3.35 out of 5 what does that truly mean to the population as a whole and, worse yet, what do they need to do to make it a 4.5.  There is not usually a feedback mechanism to get deeper answers to probing questions.  They are pretty much one shot deals.  Surveys have their uses, so long as the user understands their limitations.

Focus groups are another method that is popular.  The company gathers groups of people based on pre-selected profiles and have facilitated discussions with them.  The information is a bit more detailed than surveys and you can ask follow up questions.  However, it can be difficult to keep the noisy ones quiet and get the quiet ones to talk.  Also, it can be a bit difficult to obtain complete openness in a group setting.  Focus groups have their place and uses, so long as the user understands their limitations.

Like many other systems in the world that do what “The Customer’s Way” does another important method is individual interviews with carefully selected people.  These systems utilize a process that empowers the interview team to properly select the individuals that will likely yield the best and most representative information.  They also have a system of generating open ended questions that invite conversation rather than short and abrupt answers.  The best systems also have a robust process that enables the team to make sense of the huge amount of information that comes in from the interviews.

One risk to using this methodology is that it can be misrepresentative of the population,  if the preparation work is not done well prior to engaging the people you are interviewing.  Be sure you are working with a reputable company if you engage in this type of research.  Individual interviews have their uses, so long as the user understands their limitations.

The method I use is “The Customer’s Way”.  It is a proprietary system of interviewing key individuals (customers) to discover what they value and want from my clients.  It is one of many type systems also known as Voice Of the Customer or VOC.  Mine is the only one I have found that takes a unique approach of utilizing resources at the client company to accomplish the research and analysis.  The benefit of this unique feature is that the team becomes very engaged in collecting and analyzing the information.  Once they have invested time and energy in obtaining the information they are more likely to utilize it proactively within the organization. 

When selecting your research methodology and provider, know the benefits and limitations before you buy.

Remember the nostalgic days of yore when the old farmers gathered at the hardware store, you know, the one with the creaky wood floor.  They swapped stories about the weather, crop yields and such?  The old pickle barrel was the preferred social media site of the day.  Networking was a common thing, though they may have not used the term.

When the farmers and merchants got together to swap stories and share tips they were engaging in the same behaviors modern networkers employ today.  I can imagine them gathering every week or so for a game of checkers, a cold soda and a pickle.  They would start with light conversation, sharing the latest news and gossip.  The conversation would naturally lead to talk of recent weather, crop growth and struggles.  One of the farmers may say something like, ” I’m having the greatest problem getting my corn seeds to geminate this year.”  One of the more seasoned farmers might reply, “You know, I was havin’ the same problem last year.  Know what I did?  I poured them into a big barrel and…”  Can you see the scene?  Can you imagine the conversation?  Here is one farmer telling another farmer how to increase his yield or fight the latest blight.  He is a “competitor” in the market and yet he is sharing his secrets.  Does that sound insane?  Would you do the same?

The smart, older,  farmer knows this conversation will loop around next year when he has losses due to hail damage or draught.  He knows, as part of a community, we are all connected and need to support each other for greater success.  The pickle barrel has power for him.  The checker board is a source of inspiration and support.  He knows the merchant will tell him about the latest fertilizer or seed hybrid.  Other farmers will yield secrets and tips that will help the community.  There is a tremendous amount of information to be shared around that old pickle barrel.

Is the current method for social networking really working?  Is it the way we communicate or is it merely a forum to connect people who will, ultimately, connect on a deeper level?  Was that old pickle barrel and checker board merely a precursor to the modern day “Tweetup”?

Never forget the power of conversation.  Never forget the importance of sharing time with those who matter.  Always seek to sit across the pickle barrel from another human you care about and invest some time playing checkers.  Maybe even share a soda or two.  You never know what will happen…unless you stay home.

Debbie Lutze and I were having one of our many coffee chats when she shared a concept that refined my business vision.  She told me that friends are like a poker hand, you only have room for about five true friends.  The concept is quite simple.  If you are building a deep, lasting and meaningful friendship with another person you can only do this by investing significant time with them.  Because we have only so many hours in a day we are restricted to the number of people we can call true friends.  I suspect the actual number may be closer to three.  As is my custom, I drew a business concept from this conversation and refined my thinking about business relationships.
 
Early in my growth as a business owner I realized that I was unfocused and random in my selection of who I chose to spend time with.  I would sit with anyone, anytime to discuss business.  The results were a lack of paid work and very shallow relationships.  Over the years I have refined this thinking, and my behavior, to minimize wasted time and effort.  This latest refinement is a concept of “Threes”.  What this means is that I have chosen to fill my business with groups of three critical, key relationships in major categories. 
 
Here is how it works.  I look for only three key business partners, associates, referral partners, etc.  This simple change allows me to focus more time and energy on these limited number of relationships.  My desire is to afford myself the time necessary to build deep relationships with each key person so we can benefit each other in a more significant way.  The side effect is a lowering of stress and time away from home as well as increased business activities.
 
I challenge you to find the number that meets your needs and allows you to fill your life with people that will work with you toward mutual success.

My friend Sandra Mauer of Mauer Marketing Minutes interviewed me for her internet radio show recently.  I explained to her how I look for and screen potential clients.  It will be a good investment of 7 minutes.

 http://www.maurermarketingminutes.blogspot.com

Enjoy!!

So, there I was having lunch with a friend, John Boulahanis today.  In the middle of the conversation he says, “I have not seen an update to your blog in the last couple of months.”  There it was, staring me in the face…someone DOES read what I write.  What’s more…they like what I write and look forward to the next installment.  I have heard this from several others in the last couple of months.

Oddly, 2 months ago, I was having lunch with Bob Fish of Biggby Coffee and he told me of the importance of blogging consistently.  He told me it was not a as important that you blog often as it is you blog with purpose and regularity.  “If you are going to blog once per month, tell your audience so they can know what to expect of you,” he further explained.

Not unlike how we are to deal with our customers?  They need to know what they can expect from us and when they can expect us to do it. 

Lesson learned Bob and John.  Thank you for your mentorship and kindness by telling me where I was falling short and how to improve.

Here is the plan.  I write a monthly newsletter on topics that may benefit my audience.  I will make it a practice to copy the same article to my website blog.  You should expect that at least once per month you will get some insight or observation from this blog.  Perhaps, if the muse speaks to me, I will put additional information on it from time to time.  In any event you can expect that I will do a major posting at least once per month.

Thank you to all who follow my thoughts and ramblings.

Dan

Becoming prepared to move on to new things in our lives seems to be accompanied by this wonderful crushing, pressing and waiting process. It’s not unlike grapes that are destined to become a fine wine. Here you are hanging around enjoying days in the sunshine and nights in the cool breeze with a bunch of your closest friends. Ah, life is great and it surely couldn’t get any better than this. BUT WAIT!!

One day without so much as a word of warning you are cut down, taken to a new place, thrown into a large vat then someone or something starts stomping the juice right out of you. What the…??? You end up a mashed, deflated mess and life as you know it is no more. The squeeze is put on you till there is nothing left in you. Your life’s blood is then filtered, fermented, bottled and set in a dark place for maybe years. The pulp from your former life is now chicken or pig feed or maybe it gets composted and used to nourish another bunch of grapes so that they may grow and enjoy the same fate as you. Either way…what was your life is now a load of leftovers fit to fertilize and little else.

A handful of grapes may sell for a few cents or in a tough economy maybe a dollar. However, a curious thing happens as a result of all this activity. The juice of these same grapes that has been extracted and fermented in the right conditions for a significant period of time becomes infinitely more valuable. A bottle of quality wine (not Three Buck Chuck) can cost hundreds of dollars, not just a few cents. What’s the difference? The processing and the passing of time in the proper conditions produce a precious product that can be savored in a way that the simple grape cannot.

It isn’t a lot of fun to have everything you are familiar with torn away, crushed and discarded. Nevertheless, it’s the eventual result that tells the true story of the pain and process that has prepared you for the coming season of your life.

Dean Blodgett

This from my good friend Dean Blodgett.

Becoming prepared to move on to new things in our lives seems to be accompanied by this wonderful crushing, pressing and waiting process. It’s not unlike grapes that are destined to become a fine wine. Here you are hanging around enjoying days in the sunshine and nights in the cool breeze with a bunch of your closest friends. Ah, life is great and it surely couldn’t get any better than this. BUT WAIT!!

One day without so much as a word of warning you are cut down, taken to a new place, thrown into a large vat then someone or something starts stomping the juice right out of you. What the…??? You end up a mashed, deflated mess and life as you know it is no more. The squeeze is put on you till there is nothing left in you. Your life’s blood is then filtered, fermented, bottled and set in a dark place for maybe years. The pulp from your former life is now chicken or pig feed or maybe it gets composted and used to nourish another bunch of grapes so that they may grow and enjoy the same fate as you. Either way…what was your life is now a load of leftovers fit to fertilize and little else.

A handful of grapes may sell for a few cents or in a tough economy maybe a dollar. However, a curious thing happens as a result of all this activity. The juice of these same grapes that has been extracted and fermented in the right conditions for a significant period of time becomes infinitely more valuable. A bottle of quality wine (not Three Buck Chuck) can cost hundreds of dollars, not just a few cents. What’s the difference? The processing and the passing of time in the proper conditions produce a precious product that can be savored in a way that the simple grape cannot.

It isn’t a lot of fun to have everything you are familiar with torn away, crushed and discarded. Nevertheless, it’s the eventual result that tells the true story of the pain and process that has prepared you for the coming season of your life.

Dean

Have you ever felt that sometimes you are your own worst enemy? We all have moments when, no matter how hard we try, things just don’t seem to work out right, when everything goes wrong, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. But, just as you may sometimes be your own worst enemy, you can also be your own best friend. The transition usually occurs when you realize that the only person on earth who can determine your failure or success is you yourself. You may discover your best friend when you develop the maturity and strength of character to accept yourself for the person you are and to take the actions necessary to become the person you wish to be. When you analyze yourself objectively, you can begin to build upon your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. When you do, you will realize that the only person who stands in the way of your success is you.

Have you ever felt that sometimes you are your own worst enemy? We all have moments when, no matter how hard we try, things just don’t seem to work out right, when everything goes wrong, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. But, just as you may sometimes be your own worst enemy, you can also be your own best friend. The transition usually occurs when you realize that the only person on earth who can determine your failure or success is you yourself. You may discover your best friend is you when you develop the maturity and strength of character to accept yourself for the person you are and to take the actions necessary to become the person you wish to be. When you analyze yourself objectively, you can begin to build upon your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. When you do, you will realize that the only person who stands in the way of your success is you.

Good living and never quit!!!

Ever watch those National Geographic specials about the African savanna?  They always show the lions in one of two postures.  They are lazily sleeping in a group under whatever shade they can find or they are tearing across the scrub brush in pursuit of a meal.

Lions know instinctively that hunting is an inherently risky business.  Every time they go out in pursuit of food there is risk.  They risk anything from needlessly burning up energy, should they fail to catch their quarry, even severe injury or even death when they commit to a hunt.  Lions do not hunt merely to hunt, they only hunt when they are hungry.  They do a simple calculation in their minds to determine if the hunger is bad enough to run the risk of being injured or killed.  At some point hunger wins out and they set off in search of a meal.

Lions also know that the larger the animal they are hunting, the higher the probability of being hurt.  Hunting a gazelle is fairly low risk.  It is also a relatively small reward for the effort.  Hunting a water buffalo or even an elephant is a much higher risk with an associated higher reward for the effort.  The hungrier they are, the larger risk they will take for their next meal.

A reasonable alternative for a lion is to simply lie in the shade and refuse to hunt, thereby eliminating the risk of being hurt at all.  This decision also leads to death by starvation, a slow and agonizing way to die.

Business owners are much like that lion.  We make calculations on how much risk to take based largely on how hungry we are.  The larger the hunger, the more risk we will take.  Sure, there is always the possibility we will fail.  The reality is that if we do not take certain calculated risks we will ultimately starve our business to death slowly and painfully. 

I have chosen to find hunger within, wherever I can, as a way to motivate myself to take those calculated risks, have you?

How hungry are you?  What will you risk to satisfy your hunger?