It may not be why you think. Greg discovered that people who buy green energy systems do it to be socially responsible. This discovery made his client realize that they were competing with both construction companies and charities. It also led to possible new partnerships with nature and conservation organizations.

Bodo talked to trade show attendees and found that the people who bought platinum lab materials were more concerned about durability than price.

Asking your customers questions can lead to new ways of marketing your products, open avenues for building new partnerships, and help you to better focus your marketing efforts.

There’s no point going on about the 12 colors your 42″ plasma TV comes in if what people really care about is the great picture (or the bragging rights).

How can you find out?

Ask them. Email a short survey (you can use surveymonkey or even Google docs), or make a few phone calls. Find out what’s on their minds. You may get a few surprises. You may also find new possibilities.