How do I find out what my customers need? That’s a frequent question in my Mercy Corps Northwest marketing seminars on market research. Answering the question, I recall two stories.
1. One of the most emotionally powerful movies of my teenagehood was Brubaker. In this 1980 production, Robert Redford is a new prison warden who disguises himself as a new inmate to figure out what’s going on inside the institution, only to uncover rampant corruption and abuse.
2. Matthias Corvinus was a 15th century Hungarian king. A popular folklore hero nicknamed Matthias the Just, he’d roam his lands disguised as a pauper to learn his people’s troubles and correct any injustices he discovered.
From my current vantage point, both Brubaker and King Matthias were doing their market research. Brubaker could have entered through the employee entrance and make his decisions from his office; Matthias Corvinus could have just sat on his throne issuing edicts. But that way, neither would have learned the real facts on the ground and what needs to be done. Both Brubaker and King Matthias approached their information deficit by descending from their respective position of authority, with its us-and-them mindset, and approached their target audiences on the target audiences’ terms.
I’m not advocating disguising yourself as your customer to do your market research. What I’m saying is, if you want to know what your market needs, get out of your office, leave your clipboard behind, and mingle with your customers. Meet them where they are. Chat with them, and keep the conversation going, both ways and consistently. Invite them for coffee or to a party. Stop thinking about them as your targets. Be a part of their lives. Become a part of their community. It’s us and us now.
