Incorporating customers' viewpoints into your business isn't just a fresh form of CRM, it can also make existing and future products better. Community manager Dawn Lacallade says her company Solarwinds actually got its R&D spend down to about 9% (compared with an industry average of about 20%) by strategically incorporating users in its decision-making processes.

A presentation Lacallade gave in April features a chart that breaks down the typical product-development cycle, from idea generation to release, then sales/marketing. Each step includes a different way of including the valuable views of users. They can:

• Help generate ideas early on
• Assist in refining a product in the design phase
• Co-develop products with you
• Beta-test and leverage WOM to buttress your marketing strategy

Lacallade hastens to add that community members aren't just people who chat about likes and dislikes; they help fix bugs, provide free development and make contributions across nearly all stages in a product/service's birth. The trick is to target the users most appropriate for each process. Solarwinds breaks down its user base this way:

• 1% Power Users—the perfect development partners
• 9% Contributors—people to tap for direct feedback
• 80% Watchers—their purchases validate your decisions

The Po!nt: Use your users! They want to help, and they'll do it gladly if it means a better brand experience over the long term. When you think about it, aren't they your ideal business partners?

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