Use this template when
- A customer said something that changed how you see the problem.
- The insight applies beyond your product.
- You can anonymize it without losing the point.
The template
Replace each bracket with your own material. Delete any line that doesn't fit your story.
[What the customer said or did. Anonymized.] [What you assumed before that conversation.] [What you realized instead.] [What you changed as a result: product, process, or pitch.] [The general lesson for people in your readers' role.]
A completed example
A customer told me last week: “We don't need more reports. We need fewer meetings about reports.” I'd assumed our job was to make reports better. Faster, prettier, more complete. But her real cost wasn't the report. It was the hour every Monday where six people looked at it together and argued about what it meant. We've started adding a three-line written summary to the top of every report. What changed, why it probably changed, and what to watch next. If you're building internal tools: the output isn't the report. It's the decision someone makes after reading it.
The customer's line is short and quotable. The post is about the insight, not the product, and there's no pitch.
Tips
- Change enough details that the customer can't be identified, or ask first.
- Lead with their words, not yours.
- Keep the product out of the lesson.
The example names, companies, and numbers are illustrative.