Description
Book SynopsisWhy 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.
Trade ReviewIf you run a small business, are a freelancer, need to do any sort of marketing or customer research, then you NEED this book! - LinkedIn
This is a really great business book on a little discussed topic. It has an energetic prose style choc full of expertise, insights and mindset shifts. It’s a brilliant guide to creating a mutually rewarding relationship with the most important people in your business - your customers. - Amazon
Katie Tucker's book is rammed with practical, unexpected ways to find out what your customers want. It's the kind of book you can turn to again and again. One for the small business book shelf! - Amazon
Absolutely loved this book. A refreshing, easy-to-understand guide to doing simple but effective market research...It’s written in an accessible (and often funny) style, and shows that you don’t need a big corporate budget or loads of time to find out what your audience really wants. Essential reading for small businesses and budding entrepreneurs. - Amazon
The book gives great tips on how to do market research – how to interview clients properly, for example – but also, crucially, what to do with the insight they give you. Honestly, I wish I’d had this book years ago. Go and buy it, I reckon you won’t regret it. - LinkedIn
It's not just that this book is incredibly well written, but EVERY SINGLE PAGE has a golden nugget you can implement in your business...Katie makes what could be a dry subject really easy to understand, and provides tasks and ideas for you to start implementing straight away. - Amazon
Table of ContentsList of stretch tasks
Preface
Jungle Juice
Foreword
Introduction
Who is this book for?
Democratizing skills for smaller businesses
What is market research and why do we need it?
Good enough research
How well do you know your customers?
Make small your superpower
How to read this book
What you’ll learn
Why me?
Chapter 1: I made the front page of The Sunday Times and failed, and seven ways market research will improve your business
You are not your customer
Assumptions kill dreams
The sunk cost fallacy
Knowing your customer is a practice
Seven ways market research will improve your business
Stretch task #1
Stretch task #2
Chapter 2: Ego, excuses and the fear of failure: what’s holding you back?
Market research excuses
Fear of failure
Ego
Stretch task #3
Chapter 3: The explorer’s toolkit: curiosity, empathy and courage
Curiosity
Empathy
Courage
Chapter 4: I met Alcatraz prisoner 1259, talking to customers and how to just ask
What is a customer interview?
When to use customer interviews?
Where to find people?
Stretch task #4
How to ask
Incentives
Getting over yourself
Creating a discussion guide
During the interview
After the interview
Chapter 5: The mother of all theories and there is such a thing as a stupid question
Jobs to be done (JTBD) theory
What are your customers trying to get done?
Five golden rules for asking quality questions
Chapter 6: The art and science of sensemaking
What is sensemaking?
Why do we need it?
When to do it?
What you need
How to do it
Outliers
Chapter 7: Stop sending shitty surveys
What is a survey?
When should you use a survey?
Build surveys people fill in
Work backwards
Make something happen
Sample sizes and response rates
Which platforms to use?
Chapter 8: Learn about customers in your pyjamas and how to win at desk research
What is desk research?
Where to look?
Keeping one eye on the competition
Get started
Stretch task #5
Chapter 9: Can I pick my friend’s nose? And how to be a digital spy
Being a digital spy
Where should you look?
Search listening tools
Scared of robots?
Chapter 10: Stop asking for five-star feedback
What is customer feedback?
Feedback formats
How to ask for it
How to take it
How to use it
Testimonials and reviews
How to give it
Chapter 11: Small business testing
Quick and dirty testing
What’s your skateboard?
Testing price
Chapter 12: When not to listen to customers
Reason 1: The customer is not aligned with your business values
Stretch task #6
Reason 2: When the rewards are teeny-weeny
Reason 3: Someone else is doing it (much) better
Reason 4: You just don’t want to do it
Reason 5: You don’t have the bandwidth
Chapter 13: Three ways to make it happen and staying on the right side of the law
Option 1: The stone
Option 2: The peach
Option 3: The penguin
Staying on the right side of the law
When to hire the pros
Conclusion
Do penguins eat peaches?
Question Bank
Themes to explore with customers
Useful links
Contributor bios
Acknowledgements
