Bitchin' Ain't Switchin'

Bob Moesta has watched companies waste years chasing features that customers demanded loudly but never actually bought.

'The phrase I have is "Bitchin' ain't switchin'." Just because people bitch about something doesn't mean they're going to do anything about it.'

At Basecamp, every customer said they needed Gantt charts. They complained constantly. But nobody was actually leaving because of Gantt charts.

'And if Basecamp would've added all those things, one of the reasons why people join Basecamp is because it's so dang simple. If I start to add all these things that make it more complicated, it doesn't work.'

Your kid says they hate broccoli. They say it every night. But are they actually starving? Are they refusing to eat anything? Usually not. They're bitching, not switching.

Don't redesign the whole meal around complaints. Watch behavior, not words. What are they actually not eating? What battles are they actually fighting?