Human beings are unconsciously subject to confirmation bias, and marketers are no different. We tend to see the things that conform what we already believe, and not see, or dismiss the things that go counter to those existing beliefs. This is a dangerous tendency in commercial life, one that can lead to considerable wasted effort and resources.
We think we understand the customer in some detail, most marketers would claim to be ‘customer centric’.
We think we understand the customers pain points.
We think we understand the customers behaviour.
We think we understand the customers price sensitivity.
We think we understand the customers response to competitive offers.
We think they see our brands the same way we do.
Because we think it, does not make it true, and often we are wrong.
Nobody likes to admit they are wrong, even to themselves, so many marketers continue chasing lost causes, blaming others, finding fluffy clichés as justifications, and generally wasting resources.
Many Marketers I see spend way too much time examining spreadsheets, research done by third parties, listening to various service providers, and not talking to customers.
Customers are not always able to clearly articulate what they want, but they are usually able to articulate their pain points if you are smart enough to ask the right questions, understand the answers, and ask the penetrating follow up question.
I often ask the question of clients, how they would rate their ‘customer centricity’. Typically, the answer is between 70 & 80%. Some work to do, but looking good. I then go and ask the question of some of their customers, to rate their suppliers ‘customer centricity’. A score over 30% is as rare as rain in Broken Hill.
Perceptions do tend to differ, but the sort of variation I see is not a statistical error, but a reflection that we are simply not close enough to customers, and listening with an open mind.
A bit of sceptical thinking from an outside source can save you a lot of heartache.
