Whether customers like it or not!

I just saw this heading and had to write a quick piece about it – this is the sub-heading of an article in Autocar magazine this week which discusses hybrid powertrains for Rolls Royce cars, but it is the wording of the sub-heading which caught my attention. Why would anyone want to do something which their customers wouldn’t like? It is an attitude I have heard from a few people and organisations – this is the way we are going to do this whether our customers like it or not. What a strange attitude – find out if customers like it, and if not, don’t do it but if they do, do it! It should be pretty simple really. 

As a brief explanation of the article, Rolls Royce build a prototype electric car and customers didn’t like it because of the limited range provided. Rolls Royce dropped the idea but with increasing regulatory pressure it is very likely that to drive in some cities in the future it will be essential to have electric power so the solution is hybrid – electric for short range and petrol elsewhere. It may not be what customers want, but if it is the only way they can use their cars they will probably realise they need it!

Have you ever done something your customers didn’t want? If so, why? And did it work?