Sitting on my Toilet

It is true the more we know about the humanity and how it was created, brings clarity and understanding about its purpose.  Furthermore, as we learn more about ourselves, we learn more about others, and how we can better interact with others.

One of the life lessons I’ve learned is on our needs.  One of our needs (to different extent) is to feel significance, to feel sense of accomplishment and appreciation.  Often we get that from different sources, some from their career and some from people praising them and some from taking a walk, or going to the gym.

As I am sitting here gathering up the notes I’ve taken from the usability studies of soccer moms, a clear message pops up.  It answers to the question, what moves soccer moms?  For the longest time, people have said to offer them money as if everyone is moved by that, or people have also said to give them relationships since women are relational.

But the discovery is this: Moms wants to be recognized and appreciated.  They want to help other moms and be recognized that they are a good mom.

Why?

See their husbands go to work for the day, and husband’s identity may be the job or their success or whatever.  Husbands gets complimented from their boss, coworker etc.  Moms stays at home with the kids, clean up the place etc.  Husband comes home, thinking – “hmm…why is the dinner not ready.” or “why is the kitchen such a mess”, while totally forgeting that she had her hands full with the kids.  Moms are not getting their identities and getting their needs met.

So obviously throwing money or social networks at them is not gonna help.  What they want is the ability to feel they know something that they can share and help other, while being recognized that they are a good mother.  Whether the identity comes from being the guru at certain topic or being able to find the best deal or being simply a good mother, they simply want to be recognized.

Along the way as much as I hope people will love your product and your business, and they’ve got nothing but praises to sing to you, reality is different.  You’ll come across people not liking your product or services.

Don’t lose heart.  Take their feedback and see if there is gold in it that can help your product do better.  But don’t taste the bitterness and leave it in your mouth.  Further more, don’t let it define you.  It’s too often that when business does well, you feel good about yourself, and when it doesn’t, you feel like going down the crapper.  It doesn’t define you!