What do your customers want?

I find it incredibly important to listen to what my customers want. This tactic has served me well in the past to improve my products, packaging, and the specials that I offer.

For example, when I first invented the eraser for dry erase marker, I was listening to potential customers who didn't want to take the time to reach for the block eraser and wanted something on the end of the marker. Later, when I was selling the eraser, teachers started asking about hand-held whiteboards, and that's when I invented the KleenSlate Paddle. When I heard teachers say that they disliked the scent of dry erase markers, I developed a marker without an odor.

I've learned that it is essential to listen to my customers if I want to grow my products and my business. Since my business caters to educators, I plan to take some teachers to lunch in the next few weeks. I've created a list of questions to ask them:

• What are the biggest challenges you have in your classroom?
• What tools do you use that you frequently tell others about?
• What's one thing that's not working in your classroom right now?
• When buying a "widget" tool for your classroom, what features are important to you?
• What annoys you when dealing with suppliers of educational products?
• What's on your wish list?
• If you could invent a product that would make teaching easier, what problem would it solve?

My focus at lunch will be to ask the question and LISTEN to the answers!

What about you? Who do you need to take to lunch to grow your business? What questions will you ask? How can you hone in on what your customers needs?