Using Customer Insights to Guide Product Management

As a founder and CEO at my startup company, I wear many hats, one of them being that of a product manager. I have come to realize just how challenging, yet crucial, a PM's role is. I started reflecting on the differences I have observed between strong and weak PMs.

One trait I've noticed in weaker PMs is that they shy away from talking to customers. They love quoting Henry Ford, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses," or referencing Steve Jobs, who allegedly didn’t care about what customers wanted.

But let's be realistic – only those with the rare vision and foresight of Henry Ford or Steve Jobs can make this approach work. For the rest of us, it's better to connect with our customers to truly understand what they need.

Now, there is a right way and a wrong way to talk to customers. I remember a successful PM once saying, "The customer defines the problems, the product manager defines the solutions."

That Henry Ford quote is used to justify not talking to customers, but it's based on a flawed premise. You don't want to ask customers what they want, because then they have to figure out both the problem and the solution. Instead, a good PM listens to customers' problems, and uses their own creativity and vision to find the best solution.?

To wrap up, being a product manager requires not just technical skills and vision, but also the ability to understand customer needs. Good PMs don't shy away from talking to customers, but rather use their conversations to identify problems and find the best solutions. While the famous quote from Henry Ford may be inspiring, it's important to remember that not all businesses can succeed without customer input. So, for those of us without the foresight of Ford or Jobs, it's best to nurture close relationships with customers and use their insights to guide product development.