This is a short story of the Cat, the Bird and the Bowl.

The story

I watered the crop of basil in the early morning, and noticed a geelogie as it tittered at the side of the swimming pool. She was (I will assume it was a ‘she’, because she was busy and beautiful) seeking a sip of water from the pool, but could not reach the surface. So she skipped and tittered and drew my attention to her plight. Consequently, I responded and found a dis-used ice-cream container, filled it to the brim with water and placed it in a position where she could reach. In my mind, I was sure that the result pleased her.

I thought nothing more of the situation, as I continued with my domestic tasks. I was confident that the bird would discover the refreshment at a convenient time. She would enjoy a drink, a clean and a bath. I hoped that she would be satisfied.

To my surprise, the neighbourhood cat – and not the friendly geelogie was the first visitor to the bird-bath. This shy, grey, furry bundle must’ve watched me going about my chores. Once I had completed the creation of the “bird-bath”, she decided that it looked interesting and required further investigation. She avoided me at all costs, but with a typical focused cat-like approach, headed to the bowl. She sat for a long time and drank deeply from the fresh liquid. Now and then, she raised her head, look around and kept an eye on my movements. She clearly enjoyed the cool drink. She meandered off into the rest of the day, once she had drunk, satisfactorily. Here ends the tale.

The explanation

Here begins the explanation:

Early this morning, as I watered my crop of basil, I came across a new customer need. The geelogie needed a drink of water. Following the identification of this need, I quickly made use of the available material to the serve the need. I filled the old container to the brim because I knew that the bird’s need was easy to satisfy. As long as she could access the water easily, I had a new customer. I completed my product and placed it in a position where, I felt, it could be accessed easily. The product cost was zero although I knew that the product’s value was potentially life-giving. All I had to do was retire and observe the market.

I was not sure of my emotions when the cat sprung from its perch and strolled confidently toward my product. I had not identified her as my customer. She didn’t belong in my market, as I had not identified her need. What the hell? The product association was incorrect. I focused on the thirsty customer and this cat was a thief, I felt. I would put money on it, that she probably had a bowl with her name on it, somewhere. She was hijacking my efforts to satisfy the other market. She wasn’t my kind of thirsty. How dare she?

What I failed to identify in relation to the story of the cat, the bird and the bowl, was that the market was broader than I had anticipated. I geared my operation to the satisfaction of one type of feathered customer, without considering the furry variety. In my haste, or excitement and attitude I had jumped into the market to solve one problem, without considering that in that micro-economic situation there was a potential for more than one solution. It was shortsighted, and if I continued in that way, it could damage future customer relationships, or product development, or both. The lesson was learnt.

The conclusion

In conclusion, this little tale about the Cat, the Bird and the Bowl lead to an entire strategy discussion. It covered brand awareness, brand-building, market dynamics and product association. In this instance, the main lesson was about knowing the customer composition. The product associated favourably with each customer, but one of the customers had been ignored. That is an opportunity missed. Our final thoughts about this experience, is that we live in a world where we want to know everything, and often we think we do, yet we still have the potential to make simple mistakes. TwoStepsUp was created to help you navigate your business through the market to reach your customers. Chat to us if you like the way we think, and feel that it can add value to your organization.