What we don’t know about our markets, our customers, our products, our business is where our lack of growth and outright failure resides. Of course, the rub is this – on our own, we don’t know what we don’t know and are powerless to do anything about it.

So, we must force ourselves to find out what we don’t know – it’s really painful, but really fruitful, and just might contain the secret to your success.

It’s painful, because it’s not natural. Or, as Steven Covey so brilliantly theorized in the 7 Habits . . . “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are — or, as we are conditioned to see it.” If this notion is true then it’s no wonder there are things in our business that seem so painfully obvious to us, yet remain a mystery to the very people we are trying to connect with.

Have you ever sat with a customer and watched as they navigated your website. I have, and I wanted to choke them. (hello, it’s obvious, click here!) Lesson: What’s obvious to me isn’t so.

See, the best marketing documents might be the ones that give our prospects the answers to the questions they didn’t know that had.

But, I think the really frustrating thing about this in marketing is that often this lack of knowledge keeps us doing things that are actually turning people off unintentionally. A confused prospect rarely, takes the time to write an email, attach a screen shot, and make some suggestions as to how we could make our shopping cart function more effectively. (If they ever do, drop to your knees, thank them, and send them a free gift of some sort.)

As I pondered this post, I posed this question on twitter and Facebook. The response I received was immediate and plentiful: @ducttape: wondering how we find out what we don’t know, what is holding us back – no, I’m not drinking, just having philosophical day any thoughts?

I want to share a few of the responses I received for reference sake.

pippak @ducttape trial and error of constantly stretching beyond our comfort zones?? NOT at all easy to do – easy to write about 🙂

HildyGottlieb @ducttape What holds us back? My own “personal worst”: Getting angry at others, then searching to find I do those same things myself.

Benware5 @ducttape Seek the new, keep looking over the fence at others, talk to those who are not of your circle and follow strange twitter link

djsartin @ducttape What holds us back? Comfort Zone, maybe? Feeling we’re doin’ alright with all we know so far….why spend time learning more?

Patrick Bryan at 3:46am January 18 – Ask (trusted) people around you for feedback, or find a mentor who will challenge you.

Tim Nagle at 4:20pm January 17 – it’s true that being in excellent company will lead to more knowledge. Always be a “student of the game”….want to find out what you don’t know…..look where you haven’t been, not where you have.

While the responses were fascinating, helpful and instructive, I was struck by the fact that even the advice we seek and receive is filtered through the experiences of the person giving it – it’s not right or wrong necessarily it’s just another piece of data.

And I think that’s the long-winded conclusion I’m headed towards.

It is essential that we set-up ways to collect and filter what we don’t know that is holding us back in our business. This may require doing things that feel uncomfortable, that are work and make us stretch. But, it’s equally important to detach your personal world view from the process so that you can simply take in data, filter it, and apply what seems useful.

• Set-up routine meetings with customers and ask them lots of questions
• Call you office as a prospect and ask lots of questions
• Request a brochure from your company
• Call your competitors and ask lots of questions
• Hire people to shop your business and give feedback
• Visit businesses you have never visited and pay attention to how your senses are impacted
• Sit your customers down and go through your website with them
• Go home with a customer and watch them unwrap and use your product
• Find ways to involve your employees in process creation
• Get a mentor and then cautiously filter their advice
• Read everything you can get your hands on – particularly non-industry stuff
• Never, ever get comfortable for more than a week or so

I know this was a lot to dump on a Monday, but passionately seeking the unobserved is the key to building a remarkable business – keep in mind however, that this is simply from the view of the world as I see it!