Think you can trust surveys?
I’m gonna tell you that most people don’t know what they want. If you want to know what they want, see what they’ll commit to. One way to do that is to ask for the sale.
Example:
Ask your lady friend what kind of guy she likes and wants.
Got your survey answer? Good.
Now see if she ended up with a totally different guy or not.
Or, ask your guy friend what kind of girl he likes. Place a wife-material kind in front of him, and another who’s totally hot, never mind if she’s an air-head.
See which one he picks.
Trust your survey now?
Another example:
If you’ve a product and ask people if they love it, which they likely say they do… And then you eventually put it out, how many bought it from you after that?
Trust your survey now?
One good way to survey your market and see if people are willing to commit to the sale is to ask for a deposit (or full payment) and then send it to him or her as soon as it’s ready. (Kickstarter seems good for this, too.)
If you get zero deposits or pre-sales, then that’s a survey answer you can trust.