AI Revolutionizes Customer Research: Human Insight Still Essential
I wrapped up Season 5 of Building With Buyers , but then this convo was TOO GOOD + too relevant so then I un-wrapped up Season 5 😂 at least for a bit Caitlin Sullivan joined me to talk about how AI is transforming customer research Caitlin is an expert in AI for Customer Research. She trains growth-ready product & design teams to know their customers faster. Clients include YouTube, Spotify, Ramp, Meta, and Canva. we chat about: 🌟The Shift in AI Usage for Customer Research 🌟Building Systems 🌟Research Challenges with AI Insights 🌟what's actually really nice e.g. Completeness in Research with AI 🌟Common Mistakes in Customer Research 🌟Emotional Nuances in Research & Why they're important 🌟Understanding AI's Interpretation of Emotions 🌟The Role of the Human in AI Training 🌟Catching AI Errors 👀 🌟Knowing When You Have Enough Data 🌟Favorite Tools omg so good 😍 p.s. Udi Ledergor remember when you asked me this Q almost one year ago I was still a bit unsure but now I am more sure 😇 Ep. 270 on Building With Buyers lemme know what you think
B2B Buying Is Fueled by Fear, Not Logic
B2B has a dirty little secret: 🫣 We pretend buyers are rational. Because it's easier than admitting they're human. Here's what we say drives B2B buying decisions: ✅ ROI ✅ Feature comparisons ✅ Technical specs ✅ Business cases so logical,...
Data Isn't Enough; Clarity Drives Mid-Market Growth
If dashboards were enough, every mid-market B2B company would sail past $30M ARR. They don't. 😬 Not because they lack data, tools, or smart people. They stall because no one can agree on what the data actually means. 👈 EXAMPLE:...
Turn Customer Conversations Into Decisions in 4 Weeks
My cat has a more rigorous research process than most B2B companies (it's probly the glasses) Meanwhile, companies are treating customer research like throwing spaghetti at a wall and asking AI to help them figure out what noodles stick. Here's...
More Data, More Noise: Focus on Strategic Insights
The AI insight problem that nobody's talking about 😳 We added AI to our customer research process. Suddenly, everything is labeled an "insight" 🤯 🫣 🫠 Customer mentioned pricing twice? Insight. Someone used the word "integration" in feedback? Insight. Pattern...
Customer Research Sells; Product Research Builds
I'm noticing confusion in b2b around customer research - we think we're doing customer research ( ✅ ) but in reality it's usually just product research 🙈 (to improve the product) Product research asks: "How do we improve our features?"...
Dashboards Show History, Not Growth Opportunities
the problem with dashboards: they don’t tell you where to grow. They tell you where you’ve been. Mid-market teams don’t lack data. They have plenty of dashboards: CAC. LTV. Funnel conversion. Segment performance. I remember attending a weekly meeting w/...
Growth Starts With Human Insights, Not GTM Plans
Most companies build upside down... They start with: - product ideas - GTM plans - launch calendars …and hope the market catches up. But strong growth doesn’t start at the top. It starts here 👇 Human insights. Why? Bc value...
Beyond Big Data: Human Insight Drives Marketing Differentiation
my husband challenged me yesterday: if you say "go to market using research, not assumptions" companies are gonna think you mean Big Data 👀 my husband is an engineer, so I get where he's coming from... data means big complicated...
Too Many Questions Drive Real Insight and Growth
Most consultants hide their shortcomings. Here’s mine: I ask too many questions. Like way too many. If you’ve ever worked with me, you know: “Why?” “Why now?” “What did the customer actually say?” “What were they feeling?” “What happened right...
Handwritten Holiday Notes: The Ultimate Customer Differentiator
the most valuable + unique thing you can do for your customers this holiday season? 🎄 🕎 handwritten letters. 🖊️ 📜 no, but srsly, think about it... when's the last time you got a nice, thoughtful, handwritten letter? (sneaking notes...
B2B Must Match B2C Investment in Customer Research
B2C invests in knowing their customers. B2B invests in… another feature. In B2C, it’s normal (expected) to put a substantial amount of marketing budget into customer research (sometimes as high as 25-50%!) Why? Because they know the truth most B2B...
Personalized Demo Centers Boost Buyer Engagement
we're now fully in the era of interactive demos being a thing, there's no question we already know how effective they are to help ppl get a taste of your product without requiring them to jump on a sales call...
Customer-First Companies Win: 10 Proven Practices
all successful companies are alike, each unsuccessful company is unsuccessful in its own way... all successful companies are alike: actually, truly, seriously, customer-first 🏆 below are 10 ways to explain what that means it's not just that they have Customer...
B2B Neglects Deep Customer Research Compared to B2C
customer research in B2B vs. B2C: B2B: - UX product research B2C: - focus groups - surveys - 1:1 interviews - at home ethnographies - shopper research at the store - website heatmap - social media monitoring - 3rd party...
Strategic Narratives Fail Without Long‑Term Commitment
why do shiny new strategic narratives get launched and then forgotten so quickly? and how can we avoid this (yet again)? I'm warming up to Anthony Pierri he's actually pretty nice when you get to know him and has a...
Turn Existing Customers Into a Low‑Cost Growth Engine
CMOs are sleeping on customer marketing 💤 instead of growing your company WITH existing customers, you're treating customers primarily as an advocacy channel (e.g. case studies, references) 🛑 customer marketing is too narrowly defined. limiting customer marketing to advocacy misses...
Customer Insights Are the Hidden Lever for Sales Growth
customer insights are sales insights, it's not just a marketing thing 👀 what do I mean? when you really listen to your buyers, you uncover: 1. why deals stall (sales bottlenecks) 2. what language actually converts (sales messaging) 3. clear...
Case Studies: Still Essential or Replaceable with Bite‑sized Proof?
🌶️ are case studies relevant anymore? this is coming from someone that has written dozens of case studies over the years... everyone has case studies. do prospects read case studies anymore? do they trust case studies? do they need them...
Why Every Company Needs a Head of Customer
Head of Customer. who has that title? I don't see it and we should have it. who buys our stuff? Customers. who are we building our company for? Customers. instead, we have: Head of Marketing Head of Product Head of...
Marketing’s Revival: Tangible, Human‑Centric Experiences Return
8 things that are making a comeback in marketing: 1. stuffies 🧸 a la Forma 2. SWAG you can hold and actually wanna keep Navattic 💐 3. 100-200 person events IRL SparkToro ❤️ 4. Magazines you can flip thru Paramark.com...
Embrace Imperfection: Awkwardness Is a Brand Superpower
I'm (still) not a fan of those perfect Insta-worthy photos 🤮 never really was what I am impressed with: - when my daughter messes up her piano notes but then still continues playing - when someone gets on stage in...
Interactive Demos Unlock Real User Insights Beyond Video
What does it mean to be a Navattic Fanatic? 🥁 🥁 🥁 I've been a huge fan of Navattic before interactive demos were even a big deal. (Now they are bc they're amazing at letting ppl test drive your product...