Don't Forget - They Tell You What They Wish Were True

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIiAAhUeR6Y

I was reading a book that referenced this Malcolm Gladwell  tidbit about spaghetti sauce.  The story is about a very interesting bit of research around what kind of spaghetti sauce people prefer.

The interesting result that came out was that people will say one thing while actually preferring something completely different.

For example.  If you were to ask people what kind of coffee they liked - they might say they want it "rich" and "bold" and "flavorfull" which leads you to believe that they might prefer a Columbian or something really deep and robust when, instead, what they really DO when they go out and BUY coffee is buy the 1500 calorie Lattee at Starbucks.

In other words, people don't tell the truth on surveys.  They answer with what they aspire to be or to be true or they answer with what they think is cool or politically correct.  In other words, you need to actually WATCH your customers in action around the circumstances surrounding your product.

Have you had an experience like this?  Tell us about it , what you learned and how you adjusted for it.

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