It's not always a good idea to ask for the customer's opinion when trying to innovate (even if you're customer-centric).

When this revolutionary technology was introduced, people could only describe it as magic. It caused worldwide astonishment, and the media couldn't stop talking about it.

No, I'm not talking about artificial intelligence, but something equally groundbreaking, almost 150 years earlier: the launch of the telephone in 1876.

Imagine a world where human voice couldn't be transmitted, messages had to be written and delivered by hand. And suddenly, the awe of those witnessing a telephone working for the first time. Entire industries would be born, everyone in their homes would want one, businesses couldn't afford not to have it. The world shrank in an instant. It must have been a moment of great anticipation for the future.

But not everything was a celebration; there was also speculation and suspicion. Would the telephone be like having a spy at home? Could someone unknown listen to you without your knowledge? If electricity could transport voices, could it also bring viruses or bacteria?

But among the reported reactions, the one that always caught my attention was from someone present at the public demonstration of the telephone when Graham Bell dialed his assistant in an adjoining room and uttered the famous phrase: "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." At that moment, someone muttered, "What a useless invention, if you need someone from another room, just go there and talk to them"...

This is perhaps the most typical human reaction to innovation: the inability to immediately grasp or even understand what a paradigm shift truly represents.

Most of us do not immediately understand the true pros and cons. They escape our imagination. We may even be distracted by minor aspects, like when, many years later, doubts arose about the adoption of cellular phones due to the impractical size of the early devices, or now when discussing artificial intelligence, many perceive its implication as merely saving time.

The point is that consumers are limited by their experiences, habits, and usual behaviors, by what they already know. Therefore, it is prudent to wait, gather information, and observe before accepting or rejecting new solutions.

As marketers, we must understand that we cannot make decisions solely based on asking consumers for their opinions. Instead, we should test innovations, knowing that the adoption of new ideas takes time. Many good ideas die too soon because we expect them to be adopted immediately, but that's not how the human mind works.