How to Identify Underserved Customer Needs

🚀 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 🔍 ✅ As a Product Manager with several years of experience in the Product Management (PM) field, I’ve learned that great products aren’t built on assumptions—they’re built on insights. ✅ Deep customer understanding is the secret sauce for creating products that truly resonate. But how do you get there? Here are my top product discovery techniques that consistently help uncover what customers really need: 1️⃣ 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬: Direct, one-on-one conversations are a goldmine. Ask open-ended questions like: 🔍 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 [𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢]? 🔍 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨? 🔍 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬—𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘸𝘩𝘺” 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴. 2️⃣ 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠: Map out the customer’s experience from start to finish. Highlight every step, emotion, and friction point. This visual exercise often reveals hidden opportunities to simplify or delight. 3️⃣ 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬: Customers vote with their clicks! Dive into your product analytics to spot patterns—what features they use (and don’t use), where they drop off, and what workflows drive satisfaction. 4️⃣ 𝐂𝐨-𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬: Involve your customers early! Host collaborative workshops where you brainstorm solutions together. Their input will surprise you and often steer you toward innovations you hadn’t considered. 5️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬: Study your competitors’ products, reviews, and marketing. What’s resonating with their users? What gaps are they leaving that you can fill? 6️⃣ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Instead of jumping to solutions, validate the problem first. Use quick surveys, MVPs, or prototypes to test whether the problem is as big as it seems—and refine your understanding. 7️⃣ 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Sometimes, the best insights come from watching your customers in action. Observe how they use your product (or alternatives) in their environment to uncover unspoken needs. 💡 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Combine qualitative insights (like interviews) with quantitative data (like analytics) for a holistic understanding. One reveals the why, the other shows the what. 👉 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧: What product discovery techniques have worked wonders for you? Let’s share and learn from each other! Drop your thoughts in the comments. 💬 #Product #ProductManager #ProductManagement #CustomerSuccess #ProductDiscovery #Leadership

Most entrepreneurs chase the top 5 million consumers. But what if the real gold lies in 115 million households nobody's talking about it.  India's consumer landscape tells a powerful story:  5 million households with premium durables (cars, ACs, laptops) versus  115 million with basic essentials (two-wheelers, TVs, fridges). This NCCS data exposes more than numbers; it reveals untapped potential in serving aspiring households ready for their next lifestyle upgrade. Here's how this data should shape your market approach: → Target the underserved: While competitors fight for 5M premium households, there's untapped potential in 115M households planning their next upgrade. Study their buying patterns and understand their aspirations. → Build upgrade bridges: Create products that bridge basic and premium segments. Each step up-from two-wheeler to car, TV to smart TV is a market opportunity. Design clear upgrade paths. → Expand beyond metros: Premium buyers cluster in metros, but the real scale lies in Tier 2–3 cities. Build distribution that reaches aspiring households where they are. Price products for their transition journey. → Speak their language: Skip the premium pitch. Focus on practical value. Your message should connect with their immediate needs while acknowledging their growth ambitions. Success in India's market isn't about numbers alone. It's about enabling 115 million households on their upgrade journey. Winners will be brands that bridge the gap between aspirations and affordability. How are you bridging this market gap?

“If you’re not thinking segments, you’re not thinking.” - Theodore Levitt Here’s a brief history of market segmentation: 1950s: Segmentation started with basic demographics—age, location, gender—because that was the easiest data to collect and analyze. 1960s: Marketers began adding psychographics, gathering insights into customer attitudes and traits to create more specific profiles. 1970s: The rise of large transaction databases enabled real-time point-of-purchase data collection, leading to segments based on purchase behavior. 1980s: Needs-based segmentation emerged, driven by powerful computers and advanced clustering techniques. This allowed researchers to group customers based on desired product features and benefits. While needs-based segmentation was a step forward, it often missed the mark because customers aren’t product engineers. They struggle to articulate what specific products or features they need. But here’s the thing: Customers excel at describing the outcomes they want to achieve when using a product to get a "job" done. When discussing their desired outcomes, they can identify 100 to 150 different metrics to describe success at a granular level. Today's most effective market segmentation? It focuses on understanding how customers rate the importance and satisfaction of each outcome. This insight allows marketers to craft targeted messages and develop products that resonate deeply with each segment. Here’s 3 examples of Outcome-Based Segmentation in action: 1. J.R. Simplot Company identified a segment of restauranteurs who needed a French fry that stays appealing longer in holding, leading to a tailored product solution. 2. Dentsply found a segment of dentists who believed that the quality of a tooth restoration depended on consistently achieving solid bonds, allowing them to tailor their products to this need. 3. Bosch discovered a segment of drill–driver users who primarily wanted a tool optimized for driving, rarely using it as a drill. This insight helped Bosch create targeted and effective marketing strategies. Outcome-based segmentation represents a significant leap forward. It focuses on real opportunities... ...and measurable activities that are underserved by the competition. Outcome-based segments provide a clear path to innovation and market success.

When my better half wants something, she doesn’t ask directly. Instead, she drops hints that are about as subtle as a neon sign: “We haven’t had Thai food in a while.” “I heard France is gorgeous in June.” “The living room looks like a mess.” While I'm not that great of a salesperson, my decades trying to be has given me an uncanny ability to pick up on these unspoken needs. “I’ll grab the vacuum.” The same principle applies in sales. A good sales rep listens to what a prospect says. A great one listens for what they mean. Explicit needs are what the prospect already knows and is ready to solve. Implicit needs? That’s where you come in. On discovery calls, listen carefully. There’s often a bigger challenge beneath the surface: “We need a better way to manage our emails.” “What’s been your biggest challenge?” “Customers keep complaining about slow responses.” Those aren’t just problems—they’re clues. “You’re probably hearing frustration from your team too, and I bet it’s impacting KPIs or even revenue, right?” “Exactly. That’s the real issue—our customer support process isn’t cutting it.” Now we’re talking. By uncovering implied needs and connecting the dots, you can broaden the conversation—and the solution. Because when you turn an unspoken challenge into an explicit need, you’re not just solving the problem at hand—you’re creating real value for your customer.

THE 5 P'S OF UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMERS Most brands think they know their customers. They don't. They know demographics. That's not the same thing. Here's what kills me: Brands spend millions on research that tells them nothing. Age. Income. Location. Useless data points that don't predict behavior. The brutal truth: Understanding customers isn't about just who they are. It's about what they're trying to accomplish. Here's the framework that actually works: PROBLEMS The real issues your customers face daily. PRIORITIES What matters most when they're making decisions. PSYCHOLOGY The emotions and beliefs driving their choices. PATTERNS The behaviors that reveal their true motivations. PAYOFFS The outcomes they're actually seeking. HOW TO USE THEM: PROBLEMS Stop asking "What do you want?" Start asking "What's broken?" Map the journey from frustration to solution. Find the problems they don't even realize they have. PRIORITIES Watch what they do, not what they say. Track where they spend time and money first. Identify the non-negotiables vs. nice-to-haves. PSYCHOLOGY Uncover the story they tell themselves. Understand their identity, not just their needs. Tap into emotions that drive action, not logic. PATTERNS Study their habits and rituals. Look for triggers that prompt purchases. Find the contexts where they're most receptive. PAYOFFS Define success in their terms, not yours. Measure emotional outcomes, not just functional ones. Understand what "better" actually means to them. Example: That mom buying organic snacks? PROBLEMS: Guilt about processed foods PRIORITIES: Kids' health over price PSYCHOLOGY: "Good moms make healthy choices" PATTERNS: Sunday meal prep, reads every label PAYOFFS: Peace of mind, not just nutrition Same demographic profile as the mom buying Goldfish. Completely different customer. Stop profiling. Start understanding. 🎯

"The customer is always right" - 𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮? 🤔 Here's a challenge to this golden rule: 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁. But here's where it gets interesting. Even when customers are "wrong", their feedback is pure gold. Why? Because it's our job to read between the lines. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲: We received consistent feedback that our chairs were "too adjustable." Customers complained about spending too much time fiddling with settings. Our knee-jerk reaction? Simplify by removing adjustment options. But digging deeper, we uncovered the real problem: 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵. Our solution? We developed an ergonomic guide that helps users find their perfect posture settings in under 60 seconds. And slot it in to all packaging. The result? Complaints dropped by more than 80%. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻? 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀. 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀. 🧠 Use the 𝟱 𝗪𝗛𝗬𝘀 Technique to uncover the underlying root cause. A customer is asking for something pretty specific, and so it sounds like they know what they need — but in reality, they only know what they think they want. 𝗧𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 “𝗪𝗵𝘆” 𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 An example of a problem is: The vehicle will not start. Why? – The battery is dead. Why? – The alternator is not functioning. Why? – The alternator belt has broken. Why? – The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced. Why? – The vehicle was not maintained according to the recommended service schedule (a root cause). So, fellow leaders: 1/ Listen to your customers, but tune into the subtext. 2/ Become a detective. Investigate the 'why' behind every request. 3/ Be brave enough to sometimes say no, but always with a better solution in hand. Has anyone else had a similar experience? When has a customer's "wrong" request led you to the right solution? #ProductInnovation #CustomerInsights #Ergotune #LeadershipLessons

Stop guessing what customers want. Your competitors' reviews have the answers. Here's my exact process for extracting opportunities from your competitor reviews: Step 1: Gather competitor reviews automatically Use this prompt on Chat GPT Deep research: "Task: Collect up to 100 English-language customer reviews (or as many as are publicly available if fewer than 100) for [Competitor Product/Service] from the following platforms: Amazon Google Reviews Industry forums (e.g., Reddit) [Companies official website] Etc. Requirements: Include both positive and negative feedback for each platform. Only include reviews written in English. There is no restriction on date range – include reviews from any time. If fewer than 100 reviews are available on a platform, include all available. Organize the reviews into a table grouped by platform, with two columns: one for Positive Reviews and one for Negative Reviews." Why it works: → Ensures comprehensive data across multiple platforms → Captures both praise and complaints for complete picture → Structured format makes analysis easier in next steps Step 2: Extract key customer pain points Prompt: "Analyze these reviews and identify the top 5 recurring pain points. For each, include customer quotes and rate the emotional intensity on a scale of 1-10." Why it works: → Focuses on patterns, not outliers → Captures authentic customer language → Prioritizes by emotional impact Step 3: Identify unmet needs across competitors Prompt: "Create a comparison matrix showing which customer needs remain unmet by all analyzed competitors. Highlight the biggest market gaps." Why it works: → Visualizes patterns across competitors → Identifies true market gaps → Prioritizes highest-value opportunities Step 4: Validate findings with targeted research Prompt: "Based on these unmet needs, create 5 survey questions I can use to validate these findings with my own audience." Why it works: → Connects directly to identified gaps → Keeps surveys focused and completion-friendly → Validates before investing resources Step 5: Prioritize opportunities by impact and effort Prompt: "For each opportunity, help me estimate: 1) Revenue impact, 2) Development complexity, 3) Time to market, and 4) Competitive advantage duration. Then rank them." Why it works: → Balances reward against effort → Considers long-term competitive advantage → Forces clear prioritization What product would you like to enhance using this method? Share below and I'll help you craft the perfect prompts for your specific situation.

Find new unmet customer needs by four ways of looking … Identifying unmet customer needs, pains or dreams are crucial. To increase your chances of accurately detecting customers’ problems and dreams, you must diversify how and where you look. That’s why I introduce in my new book ‘Breaking Innovation Barriers’ the ‘Four Ways of Looking’, a new model, originally developed by Louis Barsoux, Michael Wade, and Cyril Bouquet. It involves two main approaches: improve your vision of mainstream users and challenge your vision by looking at unconventional users. 1. The Microscope Strategy. By zooming in on the experiences of your mainstream users you can identify unsurfaced needs through regular focus groups, interviews, or questionnaires. You step into a role of an anthropologist to understand the passions, frustrations, needs, and wants of your users. 2. The Panorama Strategy. By this way of looking, you can find unmet needs of mainstream users by looking at aggregated data, such as errors, complaints, and accidents, that amplify weak signals. Digital tools make it much easier to observe the behaviour of large numbers of individuals. The ‘big data’ needed can be collected from multiple sources like apps and smartphones and can be analysed for trends. 3. The Telescope Strategy. With this strategy you study fringe users, extreme users, nonusers, or even misusers. Demands from small niches are often dismissed as irrelevant. But when you zoom in on users at the periphery, you might uncover pain points that are relevant to the masses too, especially when they are lead users. 4. The Kaleidoscope Strategy. You can also look at distant groups together and find similarities that show unmet needs. It’s like spotting patterns in a kaleidoscope. The challenge, especially for managers in established companies, is to think beyond the usual groups like suppliers, distributors, and competitors. Make use of digital tools and AI to quickly analyse masses of data and identify patterns. Use this new model to diversify you way of finding new unmet customer needs. #customerneeds #jobstobedone #innovation #customerinsights

As product managers, we often hear that "the customer is always right." But is that really the case when it comes to building innovative products? Henry Ford famously said, "If I’d asked people what they wanted, they’d have said faster horses." This quote highlights a crucial point: while customer feedback is invaluable, it's not always the complete answer. In a recent read, When You Should Not Listen to Your Customers by Maret Kruve, several key insights stood out: ⚫ Expressed Needs: These are the obvious pain points customers voice. While essential for improvements, they might not reveal groundbreaking innovations. ⚫ Unexpressed Needs: These are the issues customers face but don’t articulate. Uncovering these requires proactive and holistic research. ⚫ Unrecognized Needs: These are latent needs customers aren’t even aware of. Observation and data analysis can help identify these hidden opportunities. ⚫ Potential Needs: These emerge as new solutions create new possibilities. Think of the iPhone—no one asked for a touchscreen phone, yet it revolutionized the market. Listening to customers is crucial, but it’s our vision for the future that completes the picture. By observing behavior, experimenting boldly, and challenging the status quo, we can uncover innovations customers never knew they needed.  #product #strategy #marketing

The best way to understand your customer is to be their customer first. This will help you identify inefficiencies, and opportunities where your solution could help improve the overall customer experience. This is also the type of research which can help you develop a tailored point of view that will resonate with Senior Executives who are invested in better serving their customers. It shows them you’ve done your homework and can bring immediate value. Finally, it helps you build immediate rapport since you are already a customer of theirs. Here are a 5 examples of how you can do this: 1. Call into their customer service department and see how easy or hard it is to get an issue resolved 2. Sign up for their newsletter and see the quality and quantity of the communications they send out 3. Use their mobile app or visit their online portals to see what the user experience is like 4. Visit their physical or online stores and see how their products are sold. 5. Read what their employees are saying on Glassdoor and identify where the employee experience could be improved Once you’ve done this firsthand research, then it’s time to establish your point of view on how and where you can help. Finally, you need to share it with the leaders who care most. For example: If your POV is related to their online store, the VP of eCommerce would be a prime candidate to hear this message. The more you know about your customers, the more you know how and where you can help them.