Comments on: Bad product managers are like hairstylists

By: Nicole

Nicole — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:43:19 +0000

As a stylist I do not agree with the first statement at all. If you have to sit someone down and ask them about their jobs and hobbies you’re going to spend a lot of your scheduled time to figure out how to mesh the two together. If their job and hobby hairstyle doesn’t match with their face shape then tell me what I’m supposed to do? “How do you like it?” is a good starting point for any stylist with a new client. One of the reasons a stylist asks how someone likes to wear their hair is simply to get a general idea. Do you just need a trim? Are you looking for a new style? Those are the questions we would also ask. More often than not, when you find a stylist that suits your needs/wants you normally don’t want to have to change your style every time you need a haircut. Besides, the “how do you like it” question is usually a one-time question… Think things through.

By: Alistair Croll

Alistair Croll — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:37:41 +0000

@apenwarr Well put. Yes, this is about disruption; to continue the analogy, once you find a style that works, small, iterative improvements are what becomes important.

I guess this blog’s focus (startup acceleration) sways my thinking away from the “new, improved scent” that consumer packaged goods companies slap on their shampoos each year

In many ways, it boils down to how the focus group is conducted. One interviewer might say, “what should your clothes smell like?” (dumb) while another says, “what attributes would make you feel good about your clothes?” and “tell me about experience you associate with freshness or cleanliness?” (smarter)

By: apenwarr

apenwarr — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:19:04 +0000

@Alistair, I think you’re misrepresenting the Innovator’s Dilemma. There are two kinds of innovation: disruptive and sustaining. You’re talking about disruptive innovation, which is great, and that’s certainly what most startups care about. But huge amounts of money are made on incremental innovations, which depend on focus groups, statistics, and just doing the same thing efficiently over and over. Giving a couple of examples about failed focus group-based marketing isn’t fair to all the other marketing efforts that were successes *because* of their focus groups.

To follow the hairstylist analogy: once I find a hairstyle I like, I want to repeat it over and over. Many hairstylists are good at that… probably many more than are good at selecting and recommending a new look from scratch.

Both ways are good. The danger is in trying to make a “disruptive innovation” while using a sustaining methodology.

By: Alistair Croll

Alistair Croll — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:39:37 +0000

@Ilia, that was my point. The Caravan and the Walkman were “stylist” ideas — not ideas that the customer asked for, but ideas that were done in spite of customers’ wishes.

In these cases, the PM said, “how much time do you spend commuting by yourself on public transport?” or “how big is your family and how much time do you spend driving them around?” From that, they intuited the need for a portable entertainment device or a large-capacity vehicle a soccer mom could drive like a car.

By: Ilia Lobsanov

Ilia Lobsanov — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:57:17 +0000

Good article, but not sure I agree with everything. Sony Walkman and the Dodge Caravan were amazing innovations for their time.

By: Aidan Nulman

Aidan Nulman — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:39:25 +0000

Agreeing with everyone else, fantastic post. It’s also why I tell my hairdresser to do what she’s in the mood to cut and thinks will look good for a fairly arts-oriented student!

Never thought about the similarities you point out, though. Great observation.

By: Mike Boudreaux

Mike Boudreaux — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:10:10 +0000

Or even worse… Being like the hairstylist who looks at the hairstyle that you walk in with and using that as the sole basis for how they cut. While this is lowest risk and likely to give you something that is acceptable, the result is the same thing that you’ve had before and not something new. Why would you return or pay extra? It’s also an interpretation of the mess I walked in with and not the vision for what I need. Don’t give customers what they already have, give them something that is different and that meets their needs better.

By: Stewart Rogers

Stewart Rogers — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:17:58 +0000

Great analogy! I have been waiting for years for a hairstylist to suggest a style for me.

By: Steve Shah

Steve Shah — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:09:09 +0000

Well said. Personally, I go to a barber because I know I want a “Disney Compliant Cut” which makes sense if you live in California and are familiar with Disney’s requirements for hires that are visible at theme parks. (My barber is.)

A variation on the question is to ask where the customers’ business is heading. What’s the big initiative for next year? The year after? One customer I frequently dealt answered the question with comments about online video. He then went on to ask for various features that would make his current life “cooler”. We built what he needed for the video application and lo and behold, by the time we were done he needed the feature. It was like we read their minds…