Pick up the phone and make 10 calls monthly to your customers. Or preferably, visit them in their offices.
That’s it.
And do this consistently – every month – not just occasionally.
Why?
I am guessing that, if you are a top executive, you sometimes become so focused on the running of your team, group, or organization, that the result is an inward focus. Likely this is not your intention, but it does indeed happen.
Meeting with your customers will help change the focus from the “how” of your current activities to the “what” of future ones. Are you trying to understand the things about which the customers of your customers care?
When I worked on Macworld I found myself somewhat detached from customers until I started to attend local Boston area user group meetings. There I found what Apple users were doing and how Macworld had helped them become more creative, to build their businesses, etc. These visits were far more eye opening than were the evenings I spent analyzing spreadsheets or project charts.
How can you achieve the same?
Speaking with 10 customers monthly is not difficult, if there’s a commitment to do so. In-person visits may not be feasible for each, but don’t rule such visits out. If it is important to know what is going on beyond your doors and outside your event dates, you must find the time. And what’s more, you should challenge your staff to do so as well.
After approximately three months of consistently connecting with customers, your worldview may very well change. And that may well put you ahead of competitors who ignore such sage advice.
Are you up for the challenge?