Dr. Kotler Know Customers
Dr. Kotler, in his book, Marketing Management (14th Edition), offers seven ways to draw new ideas from customers. In order to satisfy customer needs, you have to listen to their ideas. I often say the your customer is the best product manager. But you have to listen to your customers. They are smart and know what they want. Listen and ask, as Dr. Phillip Kotler states below. He understands that customer-driven marketing is far better than product-driven marketing. Products are important but products don’t buy products. Customers buy products.
If you think even more about it, a customer has an idea conversation going on inside their head before or during their search for a product. That search could be on foot or online in a digital sense. As Kotler notes, website are a great source for ideas. Customers may use comments and feedback from your blog posts and website pages to give you fantastic feedback. If you have double digit visitors coming to your website, that’s allot of brains which equals allot of ideas. Take advantage of the input customers may give you.
Here are Kotler’s seven ways:
- Observe how customers are using your product.
- Ask customers about their problems with your products.
- Ask customers about their dream product.
- Use a customer advisory board to comment on your company’s ideas.
- Use websites for new ideas.
- Form a brand community of enthusiasts who discuss your product.
- Encourage or challenge your customers to change or improve your product.
They all start with engaging action verbs. Simple. Direct. Practical. Remember, a customer is often the best product manager a product manager could ever have.
Listen to your customers. Engage your customers.
Phillip Kotler and myself promise–customers will deliver…
By Stuart Atkins
Leave a Reply