Manufacturers should seek customer insights from their dealers. In his new book, The Marketing Detective: Discovering the Secrets of Small Data to Fulfill Customer Needs, former Harley-Davidson executive Scott Habegger details his 15 “Breakthrough Customer Insights” that enable marketing detectives to uncover those customer clues their competitors dismissed, misinterpreted, or didn’t see.
“Dealers are the ones directly interacting with customers on a daily basis,” notes Habegger. “They can provide different points of view on a topic.” Dealers can be a key source for customer insights, however, there are five challenges of getting dealer insights, one of which is knowing if a dealer is providing feedback as a customer or as an expert. “Most powersports dealers are also passionate customers of the products they sell. So, it’s critical to clarify if their input is their personal opinion as a customer themselves, or if it’s their expert opinion based on their customers.”
Habegger makes his points through real-world case studies, many of which come from his 27-year career at Harley. “Dealers will recognize many of the stories and products I write about,” Habegger adds. “Most notably the 2014 model year Harley touring bikes featuring Project Rushmore.” He details several examples of how customer insights led the development of the project.
Habegger was director of portfolio strategy and management for Harley-Davidson Motor Company before retiring from Harley in 2019 and then founded Trub & Co. Marketing Detective Agency. He is also a consultant, speaker and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Milwaukee School of Engineering University.
The Marketing Detective: Discovering The Secrets Of Small Data To Fulfill Customer Needs can be found on Amazon or www.findyourclues.com