The Consumer Problem is “Trump”

We’ve all been correctly schooled on managing by objective.  Clearly define the business problem, set objectives, channel energies accordingly and…voila successful textbook management.   Businesses need this clarity in their daily work.  Otherwise programs and initiatives wonder about and loose their focus.

But for all the importance of this disciplined approach to solving business problems, increasingly there is a new imperative: solving the consumer problem.  With ever-increasing levels of consumer choice and control, the reality is that the consumer problem trumps your business problem—every time.

Think about it, the business problem is really is our problem, not the consumer’s.  Perhaps there in-lies the root of the real problem!

Reframe Problem Solving

It is time for a different approach.  We must reframe our thinking in the context of consumer needs.  It is time to solve your business problem with a consumer solution.

Have a look around.  How often do business transformations occur without something in it that’s new/better for the consumer?  Seldom.  By way of example, some pretty big business problems with a consumer-based solution

In each of these cases, a category-busting new/better consumer offer was foundational to the business turnaround.    Tools for uncovering consumer solutions abound: ethnography, social media mining, transaction data, even old-fashioned focus groups can provide real insight into unmet consumer needs.

Next time you’re playing the business problem solving game, ask yourself, what’s trump? By placing your business problem in a consumer or customer context, chances are you’ll conceive a winning hand for you and your soon-to-be newly delighted customer.