Over the years, I have experienced the pitfalls of having the wrong map. My wife and I once tried to walk from the New Orleans Convention Center to the Garden District. It looked like an easy walk on paper. After about 30 minutes, we entered an area with weed-infested, broken sidewalks devoid of pedestrians. We called an Uber, but the drivers repeatedly rejected our request. Alarmed citizens rolled down their windows, asked if we were OK, then drove away. Finally, a police car picked us up. Our personal driver, one of “New Orleans’ finest,” escorted into the back of their patrol car. On our arrival he had to open the door for us from the outside and we did not have to pay a fare. We did earn some strange looks!
Like in real life, a wrong or incomplete map can lead your business into danger. As a leader, it’s your job to seek that “local” perspective which gives your business an edge. With the right insight, your map will prove vital to navigate out of crisis and focus on new opportunities.
I have found most businesses slice their data by demographics or product usage to yield a basic map. This allows you to make sense of “what” is going on. However, this map will not equip you to win. Consistently revealing “why” your best customers behave the way they do and influencing your future interactions with them will set you up to win. What are the steps that get to “why?”
- Use your conventional roadmap to identify who your most important customers are
- Engage team members who interact with customers regularly. Ask them about their most passionate customers. Observe some interactions, whether they may be through new business meetings, customer service calls or interviews
- Listen to your passionate customers (my friend Eddie Yoon calls them Superconsumers). They love your business and will be happy to talk about it!
- Why do they care so much about your company?
- How do they use your product?
- What feelings or emotions do they have?
- What are their unmet needs?
- Identify the Superconsumers already working in your company. Allow them to provide input into your map. If you don’t have any, hire some!
- Think creatively to incorporate ways to further infuse a Superconsumer mindset into how you do business
It’s inspiring and energizing to interact with Superconsumers! At a minimum, it will deepen their bond with your company. Taking this step also trains your organization to look at the customer for answers, as opposed to “gut instinct.” Most importantly, fostering relationships with your Superconsumers provides the mapping insight that feeds sustained advantages to your business. As it is when you travel, having that “local insight” is key to unlocking a unicorn business experiences!
