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"My Customers Would've Asked For...

...a faster horse." (Henry Ford)

"Letting your customers set your standards is a dangerous game, because the race to the bottom is pretty easy to win. Setting your own standards--and living up to them--is a better way to profit. Not to mention a better way to make your day worth all the effort you put into it."  (Seth Godin, Seth Godin's Blog, 07-28-06)

Customer research is necessary and occasionally enlightening.  But it's not a sure road to competitive separation.  What are YOUR standards? Are you leading your customers to something new or holding them hostage to some outdated orthodoxy?

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