If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I’m a firm believer in the theory of the five “Whys” — that is, whenever you’re engaged in a conversation about your product with a customer, and you start to dig down into the details about a new feature request or just trying to understand how they’re using their product, you’re not done with your side of the conversation until you’ve asked that person “Why?” at least five times. The reason for this is that what you’re always really trying to understand is not what they’re directly telling you — it’s not the surface need that they’re expressing to you — rather, you’re interested in what they’re not telling you, in the underlying motivations and the unspoken needs that they have. These are the things that you can innovate on; these are the things your competitors are not taking the time to hear; these are the opportunities to separate yourself from the pack and wow your customers with your insight and ability to deliver not what they want but what they need — even if they don’t know it.
That is the power of “Why”…and here are five reasons why it’s the most powerful question in the world…