Just what the customer wants

As human beings, we know what we like and we like what we know. A friend once told me that, he "was entitled to his opinion, and I was entitled to his opinion too!"

But as businesspeople, we must put aside what we like. Instead, consciously and actively listen to what our customers say they like. Then we figure out the right packaging, the right price, the right place -- you get the picture.

What comes to mind is a product I picked up called the "Muffin Top". Brilliant! That's where all the flavor and goodies are anyway, right? Most people eat the bottom of the muffin as part of their duty after buying the top. And since this is a premium product, they can charge a premium as well. Now I've done a fair bit of work in the food business so I know that this probably shot the health nutrition label out the door, but the principle here still holds.

Similarly, a few bright entrepreneurs have identified logos, choice, and turnaround as what the customer wants. So now, in addition to the millions of graphic designers out there developing beautiful images, there are services popping up on the Internet which provide just what the customer wants -- and for a bargain basement price. See www.logodesignpros.com and www.selectlogo.com.

With both of these 60-Second-Marketing examples, the conclusion is yours to draw: how can you work toward identifying what your customer really wants -- and give them that?