Comments on: Too Much Choice Is Bad: Customers Don’t Want To Do Your Job For You http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/customer/too-much-choice-is-bad-customers-don%e2%80%99t-want-to-do-your-job-for-you Home Of The Billion Dollar Product Manager Where You Too Can Learn To Be A Wildly Successful Product Manger Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:03:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/customer/too-much-choice-is-bad-customers-don%e2%80%99t-want-to-do-your-job-for-you/comment-page-1#comment-850 Dr. Jim Anderson Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:30:39 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1201#comment-850 Maggie: Of course I fully agree with you! Can you understand where these ideas may have come from? My bet is that they've flowed down from senior management (based on my work experience). Do you agree or do you think that they may have come from somewhere else...? Maggie: Of course I fully agree with you! Can you understand where these ideas may have come from? My bet is that they’ve flowed down from senior management (based on my work experience). Do you agree or do you think that they may have come from somewhere else…?

]]> By: maggie http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/customer/too-much-choice-is-bad-customers-don%e2%80%99t-want-to-do-your-job-for-you/comment-page-1#comment-848 maggie Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:28:30 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1201#comment-848 Wow, speaking as a customer I can tell you these are really bad ideas! I don't care about what's going on in your office or your back room! I just want the products out there on the shelves, the employees out there to provide service when I need it, and enough cashiers on the floor so I don't have to wait in line for 30 minutes behind a crying baby. I want a clean store and want to be able to buy the products I like at a fair price, and not find my favorite items have been discontinued. Do your own jobs in an efficient and careful manner and I'll be a loyal customer. Wow, speaking as a customer I can tell you these are really bad ideas! I don’t care about what’s going on in your office or your back room! I just want the products out there on the shelves, the employees out there to provide service when I need it, and enough cashiers on the floor so I don’t have to wait in line for 30 minutes behind a crying baby. I want a clean store and want to be able to buy the products I like at a fair price, and not find my favorite items have been discontinued. Do your own jobs in an efficient and careful manner and I’ll be a loyal customer.

]]> By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/customer/too-much-choice-is-bad-customers-don%e2%80%99t-want-to-do-your-job-for-you/comment-page-1#comment-842 Dr. Jim Anderson Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:59:22 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1201#comment-842 Gopal: In trying to figure out what's driving this odd push, the only idea that has come to me is that perhaps there is a great deal of pressure coming down on the product managers from the higher levels in the company. In my work experience, that's when I've seen the really silly ideas get taken too far...! Gopal: In trying to figure out what’s driving this odd push, the only idea that has come to me is that perhaps there is a great deal of pressure coming down on the product managers from the higher levels in the company. In my work experience, that’s when I’ve seen the really silly ideas get taken too far…!

]]> By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/customer/too-much-choice-is-bad-customers-don%e2%80%99t-want-to-do-your-job-for-you/comment-page-1#comment-841 Dr. Jim Anderson Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:57:33 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1201#comment-841 Beth: you bring up a very good point! In our product manager castles we sometimes like to dream up fantastic new features that we believe that everyone will just fall over themselves to get. However, the reality is that most of our customers just want us (and our products) to make their life simpler. How many times have you gone to a grocery store looking for a particular item and been totally clueless as to where (or even if) it was located? If somebody could solve that problem, then I would * always * shop there...! Beth: you bring up a very good point! In our product manager castles we sometimes like to dream up fantastic new features that we believe that everyone will just fall over themselves to get. However, the reality is that most of our customers just want us (and our products) to make their life simpler. How many times have you gone to a grocery store looking for a particular item and been totally clueless as to where (or even if) it was located? If somebody could solve that problem, then I would * always * shop there…!

]]> By: Gopal Shenoy http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/customer/too-much-choice-is-bad-customers-don%e2%80%99t-want-to-do-your-job-for-you/comment-page-1#comment-835 Gopal Shenoy Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:03:52 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1201#comment-835 Interesting article Jim. I have no idea what the driving factor could be nor can I think of how successful this could be. As you have said, I want to get in and out of a grocery store as fast as I can. Get the stuff I need and get out. I really don't care about how the operations are run. And I don't think Brits operate that different from how we do. Strange indeed! Interesting article Jim. I have no idea what the driving factor could be nor can I think of how successful this could be. As you have said, I want to get in and out of a grocery store as fast as I can. Get the stuff I need and get out. I really don’t care about how the operations are run. And I don’t think Brits operate that different from how we do. Strange indeed!

]]> By: Beth Robinson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/customer/too-much-choice-is-bad-customers-don%e2%80%99t-want-to-do-your-job-for-you/comment-page-1#comment-834 Beth Robinson Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:29:26 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=1201#comment-834 One of my employer's products has a rabidly loyal following because it works. The installers who use it don't get as many call-backs, which means they make more money, and thus put up with the fact that it's a little harder to apply and costs more than the competitors. We sell other products in that same area and make money on them, but even those installers who choose to use the other options, for various reasons, all know about the premier one. Some of its reputation rubs off the other products which are positioned to meet slightly different needs. In some businesses a desire to customize the experience could be a driving force. Fashion, perhaps, or a gourmet grocery, but I'll take "it just works" for my everyday utilitarian grocery store anytime. One of my employer’s products has a rabidly loyal following because it works. The installers who use it don’t get as many call-backs, which means they make more money, and thus put up with the fact that it’s a little harder to apply and costs more than the competitors.

We sell other products in that same area and make money on them, but even those installers who choose to use the other options, for various reasons, all know about the premier one. Some of its reputation rubs off the other products which are positioned to meet slightly different needs.

In some businesses a desire to customize the experience could be a driving force. Fashion, perhaps, or a gourmet grocery, but I’ll take “it just works” for my everyday utilitarian grocery store anytime.

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