Where does the myth that “you must always listen to the customer” fall apart in practice?
While customer feedback is essential, the myth that businesses must always do what customers want can lead to strategic errors. Not all customer suggestions align with the business’s vision, sustainability, or scalability. This myth overlooks the importance of curated listening and strategic decision-making.
Where this goes wrong:
Customers often don’t know what they truly want until they experience it—just like before the iPhone was launched.
Trying to satisfy every demand leads to feature bloat, brand confusion, and lack of focus.
Over-customization increases operational complexity without guaranteeing higher satisfaction.
Some customers may not be your ideal audience, and designing around them can derail your value proposition.
Customer-driven pivots without data backing can disrupt product-market fit.
The goal is to listen intelligently, analyze objectively, and act strategically—not react impulsively.
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