Sam Jacobs’ Post

And then there is Steve Jobs who said, "“Some people say give the customers what they want, but that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, 'if I'd ask customers what they wanted, they would've told me a faster horse."

Are there any good ways to actually ask your customers? I find that the teams embrace the concept but struggle with the process. Interviews, surveys, collect data?

Could not agree more. Anecdotally, there seems to be a very high ratio between leaders who talk with their customers regularly and the success of their businesses.The ones that don’t do this or don’t understand why it matters always struggle to grow.

Great insight and suggestion Sam Jacobs! Recently, I was working to solve the problem of 55% of prospects making “No Decision.” I reached out to my functional CRO group at Pavillion and got 16 unique responses within 24 hours. I high-graded 3 and executed. I will add “ask the customer” as #4. I would add when in doubt, ask your “GTM community” as well

Catch-22. Engaging directly with your customers provides the most authentic and actionable insights, helping you to align your strategies with their needs and preferences. However, leveraging your Board’s experience and strategic oversight ensures your actions are sustainable and aligned with the company’s long-term vision. Balancing both perspectives is key to making informed and impactful decisions.

No doubt. Can’t get it backwards, need to understand the customers’ world better than anything else and the board should help make the strategy and business sense where needed

Customer influenced but not dictated.

And work hard to find a board that won’t fire you if they disagree. Find the right board that trusts you, isn’t afraid to push back bc you trust and respect them, but in the end trusts you to make the right call for the biz.

Ask your team, customers and tell your board. Always found that so weak to ask boards what to do 🧹🫧🪣

Agreed that customers are the best source to find out what to do next. However, it is rarely a good idea to directly ask your customers what to do. The customer is not always right 😉 Better is to prepare some options first, even if they are bad options. Then talk to your customers to find out what to do next.