Big companies spend millions of dollars trying to find out what customers want. As a small business owner you probably think you know what your customers are thinking because you work with them day-to-day. On the other hand, most of us don't ask our customers the hard questions.

Topic for Discussion: Why don't we ask our customers more questions?

Answer: Fear and lack of time. You think if you really ask the question, "what would you like us to be doing that we're not now doing?" you'll actually have to change.

When Don MacInnis, who makes vinyl albums, was really scared he may have to give in to the CD craze, he turned his total attention to his devoted customers.

He said they told him, "You have a great product. There's no better vinyl record manufactured anywhere in the world, but we feel it can be better,' because there are places that are making a thicker, heavier record, a record that--the typical record weighs about 110 grams, and there were places that were making phonograph records that were 180 grams, which is about 50 percent heavier. And our customers were saying, `If we had an RTI pressing on a 180-gram record that would be just great for us, because we could really sell that, and we would also be willing to pursue more licenses for product.' "

Today Don's biggest selling product is the one invented by customers. This same thing is true for Mike Neary. His customers come to him with ideas, and he listens even though sometimes the ideas are not going to work. Customers love the log homes Mike builds because he listens to them and at the same time applies his decades of experience to judge the feasibility of their suggestions.

Topic for Discussion: Should you wait to listen to your best customers until competitors with a new technology nearly eat your lunch? Should Mike wait to listen to customers until he is fully engaged in building the home he thinks they want?

Answer: No, no, no. That is arrogant, solipsistic and just plain stupid. Don't ever wait to dig into a customer's mind. Instigate a plan whereby you ask two questions on a regular basis.

• Did we give you exactly what you expected?
• What could we be doing for you that we are not now doing?

This takes courage, but you've got that or you wouldn't be a business owner. Now you have to find time to do it.

Topic for Discussion: Is there a tried and true listening process?

Answer: Nancy Goshow, founder of Goshow Architecture, says her process for listening has several steps. She asks questions, probes, listens and then presents back to the client what she thinks she heard them request. She watches the client closely while they hear her presentation, and then she starts the process again. Here is the formula: ask questions, probe, listen, present back. Nancy will go through this process dozens of times with a client before a complex project is complete.

You think about it: How do you find out what your customer is thinking?