Category: Business, Sales and marketing
Publication date: October 17, 2023

Do Penguins Eat Peaches?

And other unexpected ways to discover what your customers want

Katie Tucker

Description

Why are customers so damn fickle? They say one thing, do the other. They change their minds. Give you false hopes. Keep you guessing. But without them there is no business.

Finding out what your customers want needn’t be potluck. Do Penguins Eat Peaches? demystifies big-business market research tools, tips and tricks for you, the smaller business. With smaller budgets. Smaller teams. Those of you who want to do right by your customers but need a little help with the how.

From sending smart surveys and asking quality questions to desk research and the rise of social listening, this book teaches you how to discover what your customers want.

Katie Tucker is an inspirational product leader with over twelve years’ experience leading teams and delivering stand-out products and services. In 2020 she founded Product Jungle, helping hundreds of businesses understand customers better. She is also a mentor, speaker and the pen behind the popular newsletter Jungle Juice.

Table of Contents

Endorsements

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

[Final chapter names TBC]

Chapter 1: I made the front page of The Times and still failed – why you need to understand your audience.

1.1. You are not your customer (nor a mind-reader) (bias, assumptions etc.)

1.2. Make money (build a profitable business you can live off)

1.3. Smarter decisions and confidence (no more guessing and luck)

1.4. Attracting your kind of people

Examples and case study TBC

Chapter 2: Ego, myths and the fear of failure: what’s stopping you from doing the work

Anecdote (TBC)

1.1. Know-how and skill set

1.2. Market research myths

1.3. Fear of Failure

1.4. Ego

Examples and case study TBC

Chapter 3: Beyond ego and the explorer’s mindset

Anecdote TBC

3.1. What is the explorer’s mindset?

3.3. Courage

3.4. Curiosity

3.5. Empathy

Examples and case study TBC

Chapter 4: I met Alcatraz prisoner 1295 and how to just ask

Anecdote

4.1. Talking to people, the customer interview

4.2 How to find people

4.3 How to ask

4.4 Getting over yourself

4.5 Preparing the conversation

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 5: There IS such a thing as a stupid question and the art of the customer interview

Anecdote about Jobs to be Done – variant of this one

1.1 What are your customers trying to get done? Intro to JTBD theory

1.2 Open ended

1.3 Finding stories

1.4 Not leading

1.5 Don’t search for unicorns (avoid hypotheticals)

1.6 Why (explore the 5 why technique)

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 6: Surveys

Anecdote (TBC)

6.1. When to use surveys

6.2. Audience and sample sizes

6.3. Build surveys people fill in [include examples]

6.4. Mistakes to avoid [include examples]

6.5. Platforms to use

6.6. Survey done. Make something happen

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 7: Learn about customers in your PJs and how to win at desk research

Anecdote TBC

7.1. What is desk research and why is it so useful for smaller businesses

7.2. Google is your friend (how to find what you’re looking for)

7.3. How to use it?

7.4. We all want an easy life (how to automate some of the researching)

7.5 Keeping one eye on the competition

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 8: Can I pick my friend’s nose? And the power of AI

Anecdote (Can I pick my friend’s nose?) – a variant of this story

8.1. The digital spy and the growing power of AI

8.2. Where to start (platforms and tools to use)

8.3. Product biz fictionalised case study: showing how to make the most of these tools and what you’d learn

8.4. Service biz fictionalised case study: showing how to make the most of these tools and what you’d learn

Chapter 9: Stop asking for five-star feedback and making the case for more

Anecdote

Chapter intro

9.1. What exactly is customer feedback?

9.2. How to ask for it

9.3. How to take it

9.4. How to use it

9.5. Feedback versus testimonials and reviews

9.6. How to give it

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 10: Small business testing

Anecdote TBC

10.1 Test and learn

10.2. Different types of small business testing

10.3. A/B testing – tools to help

10.4. Doing is testing too – here’s why

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 11: Sensemaking

Anecdote TBC

4.1 Sorting insights: effective frameworks templates and exercises to sort and group customer insight

4.2 Finding the nuggets: method for prioritising insights

4.3 Taking action: quick wins versus longer-term play

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 12: When not to listen

Anecdote TBC (variant of this)

12.1. Out of sync

12.2. Cost too much

12.3. Not worth it

12.4. You can’t be bothered

Examples and case studies TBC

Chapter 13: Continuous discovery

Anecdote TBC

13.1 Market research your new favourite habit

13.3 A three-month discovery plan: week by week suggestions (sustainable ways to build customer insight into your day-to-day business)