What Do Your Customers Really Want?

“A NUMBER TWO MAYONNAISE JAR”

Remember, Carnac, the Magnificent?  Johnny Carson would put on a magic turban and divine the answers to questions having never seen them (sealed in a #2 mayonnaise jar).

It was a funny act, but it has its pitfalls in real life.

Too many business owners try to offer products or services without really knowing the “questions”.

What do my customers really want?

While you’re focused on offering 54 flavors of ice cream, maybe what I really want is a great vanilla in a cone that doesn’t taste like cardboard.

Market research is an art. And the best businessmen do it almost intuitively.

When I watch the owner of my favorite pizza place work the room, I know Steve is gathering data…finding out what his customers like…or not. He’ll notice when the salad is half eaten, and he’ll try to find out why. He’ll look for the ways to make his regular customers come back more often.

Oh, and he does formal call-out research with local marketing students too.

Is it time for you to take off the magic turban and get real about market research?