Listening Between the Lines

“Hey, this is Joel Carter … is now still a good time to talk?”

This is my opening line when doing customer calls at the beginning of a strategy project.

Customer calls are interviews of an organization’s best-fit customers and boy are those first moments awkward and a bit clumsy.

To be completely honest, I have a love/hate relationship with customer calls.

They’re messy, unpredictable, and hard to streamline. I often have to re-listen to the calls 2–3 times to pick up on all the things their clients are saying (and not saying).

It’s these reasons and more why most organizations struggle to talk to their customer base.

It takes time. It’s awkward. It demands slowing down and listening with all your senses and focus.

And worst of all?

There’s a strong chance it will demand change.

A customer could share a nugget of information that could shine a spotlight on a glaring issue. Or they could reveal some insight that could radically change how you serve the market.

Either piece of information demands change and most organizations are already overwhelmed and doing too much. More change means hard work.

But this is why I insist on interviewing my client’s customers. Change is always happening and we can’t run from it. Ultimately, you’ll listen to your clients one way or another…

Either proactively to see how you can provide deeper value.

Or reactively as your organization fails to adapt and struggles to stay relevant.

We—your organization and mine—exist by providing relevant value to the market. If we have an extract-only mindset, it’s a road to irrelevance.

It’s good to hear their voice.

While the process can be a little awkward in the beginning, I’ve found that customer interviews can be some of the most rewarding hours of time I spend on a project AND the most rewarding insights for my clients. Here’s a bit of the secret sauce…

Unstructured approach:

While I begin with a very structured set of questions I hold on loosely and let the interview wander where it needs to. More often than not, little rabbit trails that seem unimportant end up revealing the best insights. These moments often provide ideas for innovation or new product/service opportunities.

Copyjacking:

Few copywriters can write marketing copy as good as happy customers. It’s like a magic trick. They use words that come directly from their pains, what they need, and how they feel. The words they use are exactly what other people like them need to hear. This is why I re-listen to customer interviews 2–3 times. It allows me to “copyjack” words and phrasing that make the best marketing copy.

Testimonials:

Ever receive a testimonial that sounds like it was written by ChatGPT? This happens a lot in professional services. Clients feel like they need to perform when they write a testimonial and because they do “serious business” they remove all emotion from their words. But when a client feels off the hook—it’s just a conversation, no pressure—they provide some of the best quotes. With some adjustment and approval, these quotes make fantastic testimonials.

You hear me?

The closest to the customer always wins. If you take the time, it will reward your business.

If this process is something you’re interested in, shoot me an email. I can assist in the process or share some tips and tricks to help you try it out for yourself.