THE OUTSIDER PERSPECTIVE

#NoBullshitCX #20yearsFuturelab

“Ask stupid questions.”

Einstein famously remarked, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”A US newspaper publisher reminded me of this quote when they contacted us, a European company, to help them navigate industry disruptions. Why us? Apparently, a streak of nigh-identical US strategy consultants failed to deliver any results. They needed a fresh perspective.

Of course we were not complete newbies: previous projects for publishing houses allowed us to gain knowledge of the industry. It was the market that was new for us. Such projects are rare, and I enjoy them the most. Being able to ask“stupid questions ”as an outsider can unearth major opportunities for change (and profit). But what we always knew was that taking a customer’s perspective could be just that small spark that would ignite change. Customers didn’t just buy newspapers to read news and see ads (a dying business model anyway). They wanted to interact with their communities, to achieve social status, to engage with other readers, and to feel like they have an impact. With that understanding, we were able to generate several new business models to bridge the publisher into the digital era.

So next time you are told that “You don’t know how things work here”, you can always say that neither does the customer, but they are the ones paying our salaries.

NOTE: Follow the hashtag #NoBullshitCX and Kolle’s column will land in your feed every Friday!

Which product? Innovation? VoC?