I get the most heat when I talk about spending less time listening customers.  But I'm not joking.  To grow revenues and profits you have to go far beyond asking your customers – who are more likely to hold you back from growth than accelerate it.

BusinessInsider.com makes this point loudly in an Henry Blodgett article "Ignore the Scream's — Facebook's Aggressive Approach is Why It Will Soon Become the Most Popular Site in the World." Given how many people use Facebook, it's hard to remember that the site is only 6 years old.  What we've also mostly forgotten is that Facebook wasn't even first.  It followed the popular, and well financed after acquisition by News Corp, MySpace.com.  Lots of companies got into social networking.  But now the marketplace is dominated by Facebook – which will soon be the web's most popular site (as it closes in on Google.)

Facebook did not win by asking users/customers what they wanted.  To the contrary, Facebook's leaders took the approach of offering what they perceived would be steps forward – and then letting the market react.  Frequently a VERY loud contingent would be VERY upset.  Screaming loudly they hated the change.  But with each advancement, Facebook grew users and the site's success.  Facebook didn't ask users what they wanted, nor did they ask users for permission to do new things.  Facebook went into the market, and using its scenarios about the future Facebook's leaders drove toward what they expected to be a more popular site.  They did it, and learned from their experience.

Too many businesses spend way too much time trying to make small advances, and miss the big shifts.  Microsoft is a great example.  As it launches Office 2010, Microsoft isn't trying to bring in new users to grow its base – like Facebook is doing.  Instead it is trying to preserve its installed base.  Nonetheless, some "loss" is a given.  You can't preserve forever.  If you don't bring in new customers, you can't grow because you have to replace lost ones and find incremental new ones.  But what do we see in Microsoft's offerings (such as Office 2010 and System 7) that is designed to bring in new users? 

Meanwhile, Google is offering more powerful and cheaper Cloud-based solutions, as Apple and Google grow the demand for mobile devices (like iPhone and iPad) that don't use Microsoft products.  The big shifts are all away from Microsoft, while Microsoft's efforts at preservation are leaving these alternatives with limited competition.

Today Bnet Australia posted a podcast interview I did with Phil Dobbie, sponsored by CBS, last week.  In "Disrupt To Win" we discuss the big difference between Apple and Google as compared to Microsoft.  The growing companies use scenarios to develop new solutions which will appeal to new users.  They keep expanding the marketplace.  As new users adopt new solutions, eventually it becomes mainstream – further accelerating growth.  Growth doesn't come from trying to Defend the old platform or user base, but from launching new solutions which grow the market leading to conversion and even greater growth.

Facebook is now a phenomenon, growing in 6 years from obscurity to the second largest global user base.  Because, like Apple and Google, the leadership did not ask customers what they wanted (which was what MySpace.com did).  Rather, they studied competitors and emerging markets to create new solutions – without worrying about cannibalization or moving faster than customers would recommend.  And the leadership has been willing to overlook vocal user minorities in order to appeal to new users, thus driving more growth.  You can't expect customers to deliver great growth, that has to come from aggressive scenario planning, deep competitive analysis and a willingness to Disrupt your organization and the marketplace.