One of My Favorite Questions

Can I start by asking you a question before I share with you one of my favorite questions?

Where are you in your journey of listening to your customers?

I've met people who are at all different stages, with all different kinds of data, and some without any real data at all. They're just kind of...winging it. But no matter where you are in your journey or even how big you are of a company (I talked with a really, really big company recently and learned even with top consulting agencies on retainer they still can't answer basic questions about their customers), what your customers have to say matters. It's why we do the work that we do.

It's always important to me that we lay that foundation before we ever go any farther. It's one thing to say you're customer-focused and another thing entirely to be customer-focused. I'm on a mission to help companies listen more deeply and then know how to act on what they hear.

Now on to why you're here. I'm going to share with you one my favorite questions to ask. Here goes:

What would you notice first if we were no longer in the picture?

I love this question for so many reasons. First, it will take your customers by surprise. They're expecting you to ask something about value (which is important, of course) and this prompts them to articulate the actual impact of the relationship. It's non-leading and open-ended, which are must-have features of a great question for Voice of the Customer, but it also surfaces insights businesses may not have known mattered to the client. It also opens the door for your competitive advantage in the marketplace and shines some light on what your customers are really looking for in a working relationship.

There it is, friends! Please write this one down and pull it out for customer conversations. It's a gem.