Diane Hessan of Communispace has always been interested in marketing and customers. Her parents don’t have footage of her playing sports, ballet, etc., but instead acting out an Ivory Soap commercial. Thinking about the movie Big, in which Tom Hanks’ character is the perfect toy company employee: one of their customers in an adult body. Of course, we can’t do this for real, but how can we come close?
Fletcher Music is a small company in Southern Florida. A chain of retail music stores specializing in organs. When her group met them, the home organ market had disintegrated. They were locked in price wars with competitors, and needed a way out. So they were tempted by portable keyboards, and went out to find their customers. They were surprised to learn they were around 75 years old. They weren’t buying organs to become great musicians, but instead to have a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Not only that, but they didn’t want some kind of space-age gadget, but a simple keyboard that looked nice in the living room and wasn’t complex to use. They wanted to get involved through their keyboards; it was part of a social circle, and lessons were critical.
Their response: they found an Italian manufacturer to build the first organ ever designed for senior citizens. Sold out their 8-month supply in 3 months. They offered lifetime free lessons as well. They eventually became, and still are, the largest retailer of organs.
Conversations with customers will help you when you’re struggling to come up with the next innovation. “Wouldn’t it be great to have customers connected to your company in real time, all the time?”