You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them.
By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.
STEVE JOBS  CEO, APPLE

Have you ever done that? I know I have. That is one of the things I love about Apple. They not only give us what they think we want, they think ahead to what we may want or need in the future.

Being innovative and delivering to customers products and services that they will love takes a lot of communication. I have learned the lesson that Steve Jobs speaks of the hard way (maybe he did to). I think there are two things that can help us avoid this situation:

• Confidence – You are an expert in your field as I am an expert in my field. Sometimes, what our customers want is not what would be the best for them. They may not be aware of everything that is available to them or the problems associated with what they desire. As an expert in your field, you (and I) need to address possibilities and problems confidently and knowledgeably.
• Communication – We need to constantly be asking questions and learning what our market needs, thinking about what will help them now and in the future. We need to be sure to stay in constant communication with the people we help, and the ones we can help, to know what problems they face and how we can solve those problems.

It is always a good idea to give customers what they want, we just need to keep in mind that what they want and what they need changes. What are you doing to deliver the best to your customers today?