The car

Many people think customer focus is nothing new. Just deliver what the customer asks for, right? But customer focus is not about delivering what the customer asks for, but what the customer needs. With this workshop, you can clearly indicate the difference.

• Show the group a picture of a red sports car and a blue family car. You want to know which one to build: the red or the blue car. Ask the group: if you could only ask the customer one question, what would it be? Generally, the group responds with questions like: when do you need the car? How much can it cost? What should the car look like? How fast should it go? Etc.

• Explain that if we ask what the customer wants, we get a long list of features that may hardly be used. We want to focus on what is most necessary, so we can quickly meet the customer’s needs. Then there is only one question left: what do you need the car for?
  A customer who wants to travel to southern France with their family and caravan has very different requirements than a customer who wants the fastest and coolest sports car to boost their image, outshine the neighbors, or cruise on the boulevard. Important features for the first customer are a tow bar, towing capacity, lots of luggage space, and enough seats. For the second customer, a convertible, leather seats, and spoilers are important features.

Being familiar with the underlying need allows you to think along with the customer about alternative, fast, and valuable solutions. Could you use this metaphor for the product you are currently working on? Can you look at what the customer needs together? Then you can scrutinize all requested functionalities against this need. Less is more: how many functionalities can you cut now?