What to Ask: How to Learn What Customers Need but Don't Tell You

Andrea Olson

Jun 2022 · Gildan Media · Narrated by Rachel Perry

About this audiobook

Does capturing customer feedback feel like a pointless exercise? No matter the number of surveys, interviews, or studies conducted, we regularly fail to uncover those gems needed to make our organization stand out. It's no surprise given that "expert" guidance states the obvious, like "Ask open-ended questions," "Identify patterns," or "Extract insights." What's needed is a way to discover what we're missing. Traditional customer feedback methods ignore two essential sources of insight: context and behavior. These reveal the why behind the what, eliminating the ambiguity of open-ended customer feedback-and this requires a different approach. In What to Ask, author Andrea Belk Olson, CEO of applied behavioral science consulting firm Pragmadik, and head of the University of Iowa JPEC startup incubator, delivers a unique, cognitive method for discovering hidden customer needs, converting them quickly into differentiators, and avoiding the pitfalls of traditional research. Olson also details how individuals and organizations can better tune into customer needs by sharpening their strategic focus, cultivating customer-focused behaviors, and challenging cognitive biases.

About the author

Andrea Belk Olson is a strategist, speaker, author, and customer-centricity expert. As the CEO at Pragmadik, she helps organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500, and has served as an outside consultant for EY and McKinsey. She is also the author of The Customer Mission and No Disruptions.

Rachel Perry narrates audiobooks from her home studio in Los Angeles, California. With a background in fine arts, she has been a TV host, performed comedy, acted in TV shows and commercials, and worked in radio.