WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Executives, senior leaders, and decision-makers responsible for innovation strategy, market positioning, customer engagement, and cross-functional alignment.

WHAT YOU LEARN

1. Understand Strategic Impact: See how needs-based thinking improves product development, customer experience, marketing messaging, and sales effectiveness, and why customer fit determines innovation success.
2. Define VOC Correctly: Learn the true definition of Voice of the Customer and common misconceptions that undermine its value in organizations.
3. Deploy Strategically: Know when to use programmatic versus ad-hoc VOC approaches, how to direct teams accordingly, and what constitutes effective versus superficial needs.
4. Elevate Organizational Capability: Understand how a VOC mindset transforms conversation quality, the power of strategic questioning, and how to champion VOC culture.
5. Make Informed Decisions: Gain clarity on making informed decisions about VOC investments, guiding teams toward meaningful insights, and embedding VOC thinking for competitive advantage.

WHAT YOU GET

1. Strategic framework for driving customer-centric decision-making
2. Clear understanding of effective versus superficial customer insights
3. Guidance on making informed decisions about VOC investments
4. Knowledge to champion VOC culture and guide teams
5. Actionable insights in engaging 2-hour format for busy executives
6. Clarity on embedding VOC thinking for competitive advantage

INSTRUCTOR

Gerry Katz is a recognized authority in the areas of new product development, design of new services, process innovation, and market research, with more than 45 years of consulting experience. In October 2022, he was named a Practice Fellow of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM).  At Applied Marketing Science, he has led more than 300 major client engagements employing the Voice of the Customer (VOC), Quality Function Deployment (QFD), and a large number of other strategic marketing science applications. His client engagements have covered a wide variety of industries, with particular emphasis on healthcare, medical technology, and commercial / industrial products. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Product Development & Management Association (PDMA), the world’s leading professional society devoted to the study and practice of developing and commercializing new products and services. He is also certified as a New Product Development Professional (NPDP) and is a senior contributing editor to Visions Magazine.

​​Kristyn Corrigan – In her 20+ years of consulting experience, she has helped dozens of companies use customer insights to create more successful products, services, and customer experiences. Kristyn has extensive experience leading both domestic and international research engagements in business-to-business and consumer markets. She specializes in helping her clients not only understand stated and latent customer needs through in-depth interviewing and ethnographic observation but also with how to measure their criticality to innovation.

In addition to consulting work, Kristyn trains and coaches companies to create and implement their own in-house Insights and Voice of the Customer programs. Kristyn’s published work has been featured in Fast Company and Marketing News. She has been a featured guest on the Product Mastery Now podcast.  She is a contributing author of the 2023 textbook,  She is a contributing author of the 2023 textbook, The Product Development and Management Association Handbook of Innovation and New Product Development. She has guest lectured at several institutions, including the MIT Sloan School of Management.  Kristyn currently serves on the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) Executive Board of Directors.