LESS On Purpose: Focus on the Customer’s Primary Needs
Recently, I was helping a client build a new product. We were sitting in a meeting with one of their customers discussing the need for a particular product feature. The conversation went something like this:
My Client: “We were thinking about adding Feature A to the product. It would be able to do these cool things that we think might be important for you. It’s not something we have discussed as a need before, but we want to discuss the possibility of incorporating this.”
My Client’s Customer: “Ummm…what would that do exactly? How would it work?”
My Client: Explains in detail how Feature A would work.
My Client’s Customer: “Okay. I guess it could work. I’m just trying to understand how we would use it.”
A pause in the conversation.
Me: “Customer, do you need Feature A right now?”
My Client’s Customer: “No.”
Me: “Customer, do you foresee yourself needing Feature A in the near future?”
My Client’s Customer: “No.”
Me: “Customer, is it okay if we leave out Feature A right now?”
My Client’s Customer: “Yes.”
While the customer thought the potential product feature was interesting, they did not need it right now.
During the process of developing a business offering (whether it is a product or a program), we can easily add unnecessary work by focusing on all the possibilities and what we believe is useful.
We have to remember that our ultimate goal when delivering a business offering is to provide something people can and want to use.
And, our ultimate goal when creating a new business offering with limited resources is to build only what is necessary to make the offer something that people can and want to use.
We don’t have to guess what our customer wants. We simply ask them and they will tell us.
Our job is to determine the most effective and efficient way to fulfill that want. And, the solution doesn’t have to be grandiose. It can be as simple as providing an excel spreadsheet that does automatic calculations or sharing bullet points on a Word document with accompanying links.
You can do less when developing your business offering and still get great results. You don’t have to be overwhelmed or need to break the bank. Focus on what is necessary for your customer right now. Place the rest in the parking lot for later.
