Chapter Four: Truth Number 4: You Must Manage Your Customers

“Said differently, customers don't just consume service; they also participate in creating it. And they're not always good at their job.

Our point here is to not run your business by the comment box. It may feel good, at least at first, but here's the catch: customers typically don't understand the implications of their requests. It's your obligation — to them and to you — to put their demands in context, to evaluate the trade-offs of expanding your offering.

Chapter Two: Truth Number 2: Someone Has to Pay for It

“Or is this an example of what we call gratuitous service, service nice-to-haves donated to customers, with little chance of recovering their costs?

Chapter Four: Truth Number 4: You Must Manage Your Customers

“Said differently, customers don't just consume service; they also participate in creating it. And they're not always good at their job.

Our point here is to not run your business by the comment box. It may feel good, at least at first, but here's the catch: customers typically don't understand the implications of their requests. It's your obligation — to them and to you — to put their demands in context, to evaluate the trade-offs of expanding your offering.