We all know the old saying – “the customer is always right!” But is this always the case? Not necessarily. Henry Ford, pioneer of the first affordable, mass-produced car, (allegedly) argued differently: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

While listening to your customer is valuable for many reasons, from keeping a pulse on your business to discovering what’s broken, it won’t help you push the boundaries and innovate. If you spend all your time fixing what your customer tells you to, it’s easy to get stuck in this cycle and impede your company growth. Plus, a competitor that is forward-thinking may beat you to the punch.

While listening to your customer is necessary for market research, product feedback and to build customer loyalty, don’t let it dictate every decision you make. If you want to push the boundaries, innovate and grow your business, a healthy balance between when and how often you listen to your customers is necessary.

The following infographic, courtesy of Valpak, considers that not listening to your customers can actually benefit your business growth.

Sources: Entrepreneur, Forbes, Huffington Post, Inc. Magazine