Customer Problems
Be obsessed with your customer problems
At the heart of every product success lies a passion, sometimes an obsession for the customer and the big problems they face. Along these lines, I have seen the most successful product teams address the following key questions: What does customer-centricity mean? How do you get into your customer’s head? How can you make sure you are addressing their most pressing issues?
Easier said than done!
However, tons of questions remain unanswered when most of us struggle with the daily grind. As a result, products fail to meet expectations, we all feel the pain, and no function is immune: product developers, product designers, product managers, product marketers, even team leaders. Like you, I have struggled with too many products failing every single year.
The Key: focus on the BIG Hairy Customer Problems
But there is hope, though, as some product teams consistently win. Product after product, portfolio after portfolio, they keep winning. Interestingly enough, these successful people share one thing in common: an extreme focus on their customers’ big problems in the first place. They will not start any product development; they will not write a single line of code before they understand the big issues in their customers’ minds!
A very systematic approach
Fundamentally, one needs to gather enough understanding of these “big hairy problems” their audiences are facing, and be very, very methodical about it. While the tactics differ, successful product teams tend to pay specific attention to four key dimensions when trying to understand their customer’s journey:
How intense is the PAIN?
It is the kind of problem waking customers up at night because it gets in the way of getting things done. A good example is not knowing if you are on “mute” when you are on a business call. Not only is it annoying, but it also could damage one’s reputation easily. That is a painful one that surely is on the radar of headset and phone manufacturers!
Do most of your customers have this problem?
You don’t need to be a statistician to understand it. If only one in a hundred people claim they have a specific problem, it is not enough for it to qualify as a big hairy problem. It needs to reach critical mass and have enough customers in pain.
Does it have to be urgently solved?
The more pressing and urging the need for resolution is, the better! It must be the kind of pain that needs to resolve promptly. While this dimension often goes with the pain intensity, it also stands on its own when a certain time constraint gets added (e.g., imperative to pay your taxes by April 15th).
Is anyone ready to pay for it?
Lastly, many high-tech companies struggle with it. Your customer has to be willing to pay real money for the resolution of their problems. If they are not, you will have to rethink it. Your competition and where the bar has been set for commodity will help you determine that acceptability to pay.
Not easy, but WELL worth it
Once these four dimensions are understood and satisfactorily met, then can you serenely design the right solution. Sounds simple? Not quite so! Understanding your customers (or future customers) takes significant effort, active listening, resilience, and time. But if you are into optimizing your product success chances, then such a customer-centric framework focused on their big problems will help you ask the right questions and get the sequence right.
I’m genuinely interested in getting your feedback on this topic! How successful have you been assessing your customer problems? Which other considerations worked for you? Just comment on this blog or drop me a note on The Product Sherpa site!
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