Be objective about your own lack of objectivity

If you're a marketer, it's important to remember that you know more about your product than your customer does. That sounds obvious, but it's easy to forget.

As you go throughout your day obsessing about the nuances of your product, you lose perspective and lose touch with what people don't know. You forget the basics. You become immune to industry jargon and build up so much ownership that you become increasingly hostile to criticism. This myopia is incredibly dangerous, but it's hard to avoid.

The only solution is to commit to an ongoing conversation with your customers and prospects. Provide open communication channels that encourage feedback. Conduct focus groups and do quantitative research. And by all means, listen. You might not like what you hear, but your customers already are telling others what they think. You might as well give yourself a chance to respond.

It's true that you know more about your product than your customer does. But the more you know, the less capable you are of focusing on what's most important.