Smart Customers and Imperfect Products:

Your customers know what they want. They have the largest amount of domain experience in what drives them. You can predict what they want and build products you think they will need, but, until they use them you are only predicting their needs. They are the smartest people in deciding what they need and want.

I believe in pushing unfinished products and allowing users to ultimately to decide the direction. These users are "alpha" users and generally are people on the cutting edge. They make all the difference in the world. If the organization develops a culture the "alpha" user define our DNA (who and what we become). Some of the most successful businesses in the world started in one direction and ended up 180 degrees from their initial course. They were reactive to their customers needs. The sooner you can get this valuable information the sooner you understand what your DNA looks like.

When we launch our first profile product, climber.com, in a few weeks our alpha members will help us decide where to focus. They will show us which features they like and lead us into developing new ideas. They become the backbone of our creativity.

In marketing, we often talk about branding. I define branding as a emotional response to a company or product. Our "alpha" members end up with an emotional bond because they help shape their product. They also become our best spokespersons. By definition, "alpha" members are early adopters and early adopters are often evangelistic in their recommendation about products. Want some proof? Ask anyone who had a generation 1 iPod or who is a believer in open source code.

Cheers,
Mike