Some insight into why customer insight doesn't always yield insight (and food for thought on meeting people with a sense of adventure and discovery). Customers can be guides, if we care to listen.
Recently, Robert Scoble wrote a brief review on Resonant Leadership: "One thing I picked up on in the book is how many times they used the words relationship and listening. Listening is a hard thing to do."
This from an article on travel guides:
Alessandra Marchetti took the extra step of having the Buontalenti Grotto unlocked for me. Steve Oomittuk invited me into his home, played his handmade whale-liver-membrane drum while his children danced Eskimo dances, and opened a box upon box of ancient artifacts because I displayed deep appreciation for what they were showing and telling me. In Moscow, on the other hand, I failed to show Valery, the former KBG colonel, enough enthusiasm. Had I been more open to hearing the "true story" of the KGB, he might have shared more of its secret lore and gadgetry. So listen with an open mind to the message your guide is trying to convey. - "50 Experiences that Only a Guide Can Deliver", Conde Nast Traveler, December 2005
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