We need more explorers. Firms are expressing two different types of responses to AI. One is banning it outright, and the other is leaning into AI hard. For Product Marketing organizations, we need to embrace it and partner with Product Management on discovery to consider new ways to leverage AI.
Embracing discovery more broadly throughout the company is critical to thriving in an AI world.
McKinsey’s “The Economic Potential of AI” study identified 63 use cases where Generative AI could generate $2.6T to $4.4T in economic value across multiple industries. Firms are incorporating AI into existing products to get to the market quickly. The assumption works for customers who want to automate existing solutions.
However, are we jumping on the AI bandwagon too fast and missing an opportunity to reimage our products? Have we conducted discovery to understand the customer’s needs and the outcomes?
Leveraging a discovery process upfront allows you to:
🔍 Go slow to go fast. Create the space to dig deeply to understand what your future customer – not just your current customer- needs. As a crucial phase, it’s an opportunity to consider customer outcomes and frame the problem to develop an initial perspective on the solution. The strategic impacts include whether it’s a need you want to fulfill or did you just discover a new category that’s worth pursuing?
🔍 Center the customer. Often, firms operate off company assumptions about what the customer wants and skip past the discovery phase. When the proposed solution doesn’t meet customer expectations, it can deliver a subpar experience, putting pressure on the Product Management team to deliver a new release quickly. When discovery is done before building, the firm’s assumptions are frequently counterintuitive to what the customer is thinking and how they would use the solution. Figuring it out early can provide significant cost savings and speed up development. This customer-centric approach is not just a strategy but a mindset that can lead to better solutions and stronger customer relationships.
🔍 Democratize discovery across the organization. AI is a great starting point for customer personas; however, as more Gen Zs gradually become decision-makers, the pressure will be on Product Marketing, Marketing, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to personalize the customer experience. Establishing an internal process to leverage discovery companywide is key to addressing touchpoints along the customer journey. This includes talking with the customer.
The opportunities AI provides will be immense. The key is how we reimage our businesses and upskill our teams to become explorers, able to discover the next customer or product. Firms that embrace it will experience greater customer loyalty and realize new revenue streams.
