Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.

meditating on thesis #2 of the cluetrain manifesto

Of course it makes sense to measure, and document, and plan. Of course we should be diligent about understanding our customers and potential customers. But we have to be careful not to allow the process to become the goal.

I’m really into GTD.

I should be more clear. I am into getting things done. I’m addicted to it. It makes me happy when I get things done. I used to be really into GTD™. But, after playing around with the tools too long, I realized I was spending more time tweaking my inboxes to “collect what has my attention” than actually using my attention to get things done.

This temptation to allow the process to become the goal exists everywhere. Including the process of developing customer personas and “defining the market.”

When we stop talking to our customers, and spend all our time focused on a stack of data and our imaginary Ideal Customer’s Bob the Buyer and Sally the Spender, we loose touch with our humanity, and the thing that made our businesses great in the first place.

It’s not like we even save any real time by ignoring actual people while sitting in our little cubicles massaging data to defend our assumptions or bolster our egos.

Everything good I have ever done in business has come directly from a conversation with a person in my market, or by observing an interaction between the people and products in my market.

I’m not asking you or my team to throw away our customer personas, or to ignore the data. But lets remember there are real people behind those numbers and demographics. Let’s remember to spend more time interacting with and learning from them.

I am building Primeloop.com to help bring the relationships back into business. And, I love to learn from others, so please come explore our learning community.