Think You Know What Your Customers Want? Ask Them.
How to replace assumptions with insights that help your business grow
You have put thought, time, and energy into your business. You know your products, understand your services, and care about the experience you provide. Naturally, you feel you understand what your customers want.
But when was the last time you asked them?
Business owners make decisions every day based on what they believe customers value: lower prices, more choices, longer hours, new technology, or additional services. Sometimes those decisions hit the mark. Other times, they add expense and complexity without addressing what customers actually need.
Understanding your customers gives you a stronger foundation for deciding where to invest, what to improve, and how to explain your business's value. It starts with asking a question whose answer might surprise you: Does what I think my customers want match what they actually want?
When Owners’ Assumptions Miss the Mark[1]
It is easy to view your business through the lens of everything you put into it. You know the care behind your menu, the quality of your merchandise, or the expertise behind your consulting services. Customers see your business through a different lens: their own needs, frustrations, budgets, and expectations.
Consider these hypothetical examples:
A restaurant owner adds more menu options to attract customers. Meanwhile, lunchtime guests want a smaller selection they can count on receiving quickly.
A retailer runs frequent discounts, assuming price is the obstacle. Customers are struggling to find their sizes or get help choosing the right product.
A gym owner invests in advanced equipment. Prospective members want guidance for beginners and a welcoming place where they feel comfortable.
A consultant provides an extensive report to demonstrate value. The client needs clear priorities and help deciding what to do first.
Each owner is trying to improve the business. The challenge is that the improvement addresses an assumption rather than a verified need.
Even positive feedback can leave gaps. “Everything was great” doesn't explain why someone chose you, what almost stopped them from buying, or whether they plan to return. And customers who leave quietly may have information you never hear.
Your experience is valuable. Pairing it with customer feedback helps you use that experience more effectively.
What Do Customers Actually Want?[2]
No single answer fits every customer or every business. Someone choosing a special-occasion restaurant may have different priorities from someone grabbing lunch between meetings. The same person may value a different experience depending on the situation.
Still, several needs are worth exploring with your customers.
A solution that fits their situation
Customers buy with a purpose. They may want to solve a problem, save time, feel more confident, enjoy an experience, or accomplish something they cannot easily do alone.
For example, a business owner buying a business plan might need financing, clearer direction, or a way to evaluate whether an idea is workable. Understanding that purpose helps you recommend the right service and explain its value in terms that matter to the buyer.
Value they can understand
Price matters, but value includes what customers receive for their money, time, and effort. A lower price may be attractive, but a dependable result, a convenient process, or a helpful explanation may make another option worth more.
The useful question is: What makes this purchase worthwhile to this customer?
An experience that is easy to navigate
Look at the steps customers must take to do business with you. Can they find the information they need? Understand your pricing? Schedule an appointment? Get an answer? Complete a purchase?
PwC’s[3] customer experience research identifies speed, convenience, knowledgeable assistance, and friendly service as important elements of a positive experience. Those are practical areas a small business can examine and improve.
Reliability and clear expectations
Customers need to understand what you will deliver and have confidence that you will follow through. Clear timelines, accurate information, consistent quality, and timely communication help establish that confidence.
For your business, reliability might mean a correctly prepared order, an appointment that starts on time, or a project delivered as promised. Find out which commitments matter most to your customers.
Respect and appropriate support
Some customers want guidance. Others prefer to browse independently and ask for help when they need it. Understanding those preferences helps you provide attentive service without making the experience feel pressured.
These needs give you a starting point for investigation. Your customers’ feedback will show you what deserves the most attention.
How to Find Out: Ask, Observe, and Compare
You don't need a large research budget to start learning. The U.S. Small Business Administration[4] identifies surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, and in-depth interviews as ways to conduct direct market research. For a small business, a few thoughtful conversations can be a useful first step.
Ask about a real experience
Specific questions usually give you more useful information than a general “What do you want?”
Try asking:
What led you to look for a product or service like ours?
What mattered most when you chose us?
Was there anything that almost kept you from buying or booking?
What part of the experience was difficult, confusing, or inconvenient?
If we could improve one thing, what would make the biggest difference to you?
Listen before explaining. If a customer says your booking process was confusing, ask where they got stuck. Their answer may reveal a problem you cannot see because you already know how the process works.
Listen beyond your happiest customers
Include repeat customers, first-time customers, and—when they are willing to share—people who did not return or chose another provider.
A small group can reveal useful themes, but it does not represent everyone. Look for recurring patterns across customers rather than letting one enthusiastic suggestion or strong complaint drive your entire strategy.
Compare feedback with behavior
What customers say and what they do may differ. Someone might express interest in a new service but not be ready to buy it.
Check customer feedback against existing data on repeat purchases, cancellations, returns, common questions, popular services, and why prospects decline. Where possible, run a small-scale test before investing significant resources.
For example, if customers request evening appointments, offer a limited evening schedule and track actual bookings. That gives you better evidence to decide whether to expand your hours.
A Simple Tool: The Customer Insight Worksheet
A short worksheet can help turn customer feedback into a business decision. Create five columns in a spreadsheet or notebook:
1) What we assume
Customers want lower prices.
Customers want more menu choices.
Members want more equipment.
2) What customers say
“I’m not sure which service I need.”
“I need to get back to work quickly.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
3) What we observe
Prospects ask questions but delay booking.
Lunch orders slow during peak periods.
New members rarely use unfamiliar machines.
4) What we will test
Add a clear service comparison.
Offer a focused express lunch menu.
Offer a beginner orientation.
5) How we will measure it
Track inquiries that become bookings.
Track order times and repeat lunch visits.
Track attendance and subsequent visits.
These examples are illustrative; your worksheet should reflect your own customers and business.
This tool's strength is that it connects listening with action. It also helps you avoid making several changes at once and losing track of which one made a difference.
Start with one important assumption. Gather feedback, choose a manageable test, and decide in advance what improvement would look like. Review the results alongside the cost and effort involved.
For example, a gym owner might assume that purchasing new equipment will encourage more members to visit regularly. Before making that investment, the owner uses the worksheet to compare that assumption with customer feedback and attendance patterns. Conversations with new members reveal that some feel unsure how to use the existing equipment and uncomfortable asking for help. Attendance records also show that many stop coming after their first few weeks. The owner decides to test a complimentary beginner orientation, followed by a brief check-in, and tracks participation, subsequent visits, and member feedback over the next month. This gives the gym a practical way to see whether additional guidance helps members build confidence and return more often, and whether that deserves priority over purchasing equipment.
You do not have to fulfill every request. Some ideas will be outside your expertise, budget, or business model. The goal is to identify needs you can serve well and profitably.
Let Your Customers Help You Build a Stronger Business
Understanding your customers is an ongoing part of running a business. Their circumstances change, your offerings evolve, and an experience that worked well last year may need attention today.
This week, choose one assumption you have been making. Talk with a few customers, review the behavior behind their feedback, and identify one improvement worth testing.
You may confirm that you are on the right path. You may discover an opportunity you have been overlooking. Either result gives you something valuable: a clearer basis for your next decision.
Your customers experience your business from a perspective you cannot get behind the scenes. Make room for that perspective—and use what you learn to build a business they have good reason to choose again.
[1] PwC: “The loyalty illusion: Why companies think they’re winning when customers are walking away” (2025)
[2] HBR: “Do You Know What Your Customers Value” (2026)
[3] PwC, Experience is everything: Here’s how to get it right (2018).
[4] U.S. Small Business Administration: Market research guidance
