A downside of the amount of data and information we live with nowadays is the fact that one can cherry pick the metrics that better support their story of the day.
Story and evidence go hand in hand, and story-building is also about choosing what to measure and what to focus on. If tomorrow that has a negative trend, you can only defend the story by going out there and try to explain the reasons why it is so. When you present a different set of data, the story changes, inevitably.
The voice of your customers – what they feel, what they want, what they say, how they speak about their problems, your product and your competitors, what they think – is everywhere.
It’s in the messages they send to your sales and support.
It’s in the reviews they leave online.
It’s in the forums and discussion boards.
It’s in the noise at trade fairs and conferences.
It’s in the interviews transcript for the next case study.
It’s in the blog and social media posts they write.
It’s in the way they use the material you provide them.
It’s in the results to the survey you are running on your website.
It’s in the questions they ask the first time they meet you.
It’s in their choices after you’ve sent them the final proposal.
Of course, to make all of this relevant, you have to first shut up. Then listen. And finally act on what you have learned.
Working on the voice of customer is an expression of servant leadership. That’s probably the reason why so few succeed with it.
The fact you do not have all the necessary skills to do something you have been chosen to do can be a reason why, for a certain period, you cannot perform at your best.
But you have to make sure it does not turn into an excuse.
Being chosen is a responsibility, and you have to own it. It’s ok to leap towards something you are not perfectly confident about, that’s actually the very same idea behind leaping. Then, you have to consciously make the effort to fill the gap. So that, when you look back, the leap does not look as scary as it once did.
If for a long time you find yourself in a position for which you cannot fulfill all the duties, that makes you feel uncomfortable, for which others are demanding things you are not equipped to deliver, it is ok to take a step back.
Even if the one who chose you did not notice.
Especially if the one who chose you did not notice.
When you are having a tough period, double down on your practices.
Whether it’s meditation, writing, running, working, helping, or any other. Being consistent with what makes you feel good, with what gives you a sense of accomplishment, is even more important when there’s something that deeply troubles or bothers you.
And by the way, the best moment to start a practice is today.
If there’s one thing that everybody in marketing agrees on is that to effectively market a product or service you should not talk about that product or service.
And if you look around, you know that very few practice what they preach.
This video from Apple is something to aspire to.
There’s loads of products, actually there’s virtually no frame that does not feature an Apple device or solution (I stopped counting at 25 shots).
But it is not about the products.
It’s about the transformation that the product can produce in the world. It’s a story about taking a piece of paper and translating that idea into something concrete and worth presenting. It’s about the excitement, the fear, the tiredness, the anxiety, the juggling, the mistakes, the rebirths, the preparedness and the unpreparedness, the unsecurity, the will to make things happen.
Apple would be entitled, more than many others, to spend hours talking about their technology, their features, their apps, their ecosystem. But they understand that’s useless.
What matters is the experience. That’s what this ad is.
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