--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fact that used cars is our largest…" description: "\"The fact that used cars is our largest category is a good example. We would not have sat in a conference room and said, \"Hey, how about used cars?\" So ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/meg-whitman-13170_anticipate_the-fact-that-used-cars-is-our-largest-c_2393375.jpg" --- # The fact that used cars is our largest category is a good… ![“The fact that used cars is our largest category is a good example. We would not have sat in a conference room and said, "Hey, how about used cars?" So what can be learned that is extensible to other companies is to ask what are your customers doing with your products that maybe you didn't…” quote by Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/meg-whitman-13170_anticipate_the-fact-that-used-cars-is-our-largest-c_2393375.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/meg-whitman-13170_anticipate_the-fact-that-used-cars-is-our-largest-c_2393375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/meg-whitman-13170_anticipate_the-fact-that-used-cars-is-our-largest-c_2393375.jpg) > “The fact that used cars is our largest category is a good example. We would not have sat in a conference room and said, "Hey, how about used cars?" So what can be learned that is extensible to other companies is to ask what are your customers doing with your products that maybe you didn't anticipate that they would do? How do you think of your customers as your research and development lab, as opposed to having an R&D lab at headquarters?” [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding unexpected customer behavior reveals hidden product opportunities and drives innovation. **In simple terms:** Customers can inspire new ideas. Key Takeaway Treat customers as a R&D lab. Themes customer insight innovation product development market research Mood analytical strategic Type business insightful When to use this quote - product design - marketing strategy - business growth - customer engagement Key Concepts User-driven innovation customer feedback loops unanticipated usage Questions to Reflect On - How can you systematically capture unexpected customer uses? - What incentives encourage customers to act as informal R&D? A Different Perspective Assumes customers will share insights willingly, which may not always happen. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Labs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labs/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research and development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-and-development/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Used Cars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-cars/) ## Related quotes > [Many companies operate from more of a command-and-control environment - they decide what's going to happen at headquarters and have the organization execute. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/many-companies-operate-from-more-of-a-command-and-control-environment/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [Our ultimate goal is extensible programming. By this, we mean the construction of hierarchies of modules, each module adding new functionality to the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklaus-wirth/our-ultimate-goal-is-extensible-programming-by-this-we-mean-the/) [Niklaus Wirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklaus-wirth/) > [EMACS could not have been reached by a process of careful design, because such processes arrive only at goals which are visible at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/emacs-could-not-have-been-reached-by-a-process-of-careful-design/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Despite the “R” in CRM and the $11 billion spent on CRM software annually, many companies don’t understand customer relationships at all. They lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/despite-the-r-in-crm-and-the-11-billion-spent-on-crm-software/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“How you think about your customers influences how you respond to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-suttle/how-you-think-about-your-customers-influences-how-you-respond-to-them/) [Marilyn Suttle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-suttle/) > [You should think of your customers as partners, or better still, family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-kiam/you-should-think-of-your-customers-as-partners-or-better-still-family/) [Victor Kiam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-kiam/) > [I think we're having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we're always trying to do better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-we-re-having-fun-i-think-our-customers-really-like-our/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I design for real people. I think of our customers all the time. 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Since then, I've held jobs a diverse as selling used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-fowler/as-with-many-teens-my-first-jobs-included-babysitting-and-mopping/) [Therese Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-fowler/) > ['I Wanna Hold Your Hand' and 'Used Cars' were absolute failures at the box office. Complete disasters. I learned some sad news: it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-zemeckis/i-wanna-hold-your-hand-and-used-cars-were-absolute-failures-at-the/) [Robert Zemeckis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-zemeckis/) ## More by Meg Whitman > [Because what happens is, as the economy suffers, tax revenues go down. But unlike businesses, where at least your variable costs go down, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/because-what-happens-is-as-the-economy-suffers-tax-revenues-go-down/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [What's sort of interesting about the whole public relations disaster that is the Net, in some ways, is that the fundamentals are really good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/what-s-sort-of-interesting-about-the-whole-public-relations-disaster/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [When people use your brand name as a verb, that is remarkable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/when-people-use-your-brand-name-as-a-verb-that-is-remarkable/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [A monkey could drive this train.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/a-monkey-could-drive-this-train/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [You know, I like to think that I will subscribe very much to the core Republican principles of small government. 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It enabled individuals to do things that they could not have done without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/ebay-had-two-main-things-that-really-spoke-to-me-it-enabled/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [One good thing about California is we have quite a broad-based economy. We provide more fruits and vegetables and produce to the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/one-good-thing-about-california-is-we-have-quite-a-broad-based/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [Steve Jobs was an iconic entrepreneur and businessman whose impact on technology was felt beyond Silicon Valley. He will be remembered for the innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/steve-jobs-was-an-iconic-entrepreneur-and-businessman-whose-impact-on/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [Look at growth, look at how much time people spend on the Net and look at the variety of things that they are doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/look-at-growth-look-at-how-much-time-people-spend-on-the-net-and-look/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [Guess what? The world changes. eBay has defined e-commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/guess-what-the-world-changes-ebay-has-defined-e-commerce/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [And I want to be able to - you know, make Republicans and Democrats famous for keeping jobs in California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/and-i-want-to-be-able-to-you-know-make-republicans-and-democrats/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [Many companies operate from more of a command-and-control environment - they decide what's going to happen at headquarters and have the organization execute. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/many-companies-operate-from-more-of-a-command-and-control-environment/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [It is very clear that voice communications is moving on to the Internet. In the end, the price that anyone can provide for voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/it-is-very-clear-that-voice-communications-is-moving-on-to-the/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) [Explore all 51 Meg Whitman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) ## More Anticipate quotes > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I like to do everything you can possibly do before you go into rehearsal, because once we are in rehearsal or on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-like-to-do-everything-you-can-possibly-do-before-you-go-into/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/) [William A. 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