---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You learn a lot from your customers, and…"
description: "\"You learn a lot from your customers, and when your customers are also your owners, you learn even more.\" — Norman Pearlstine"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/norman-pearlstine-31299_customer_you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and_360154.jpg"
---

#  You learn a lot from your customers, and when your…

![“You learn a lot from your customers, and when your customers are also your owners, you learn even more.” quote by Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/norman-pearlstine-31299_customer_you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and_360154.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/norman-pearlstine-31299_customer_you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and_360154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/norman-pearlstine-31299_customer_you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and_360154.jpg)

> “You learn a lot from your customers, and when your customers are also your owners, you learn even more.”

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When customers also hold ownership, their feedback becomes deeper and more aligned with company success.

**In simple terms:** Owner‑customers give richer insight.

Key Takeaway

Leverage owner‑customer feedback.

Themes

customer insight ownership feedback alignment

Mood

engaged optimistic strategic

Type

business leadership

When to use this quote

- product development
- customer service
- strategic planning
- investor relations

Key Concepts

Stakeholder theory co‑creation trust value creation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does ownership change customer expectations?
- What safeguards ensure balanced decision‑making?

A Different Perspective

Owner‑customers may prioritize personal gain over broader goals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/)

## Related quotes

> [Every company's greatest assets are its customers, because without customers there is no company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leboeuf/every-company-s-greatest-assets-are-its-customers-because-without/)

[Michael LeBoeuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leboeuf/)

> [I have no fans. You know what I got? Customers. And customers are your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-spillane/i-have-no-fans-you-know-what-i-got-customers-and-customers-are-your/)

[Mickey Spillane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-spillane/)

> [If you look at our customers, our customers tend to be really high-end people who make big, sophisticated systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gosling/if-you-look-at-our-customers-our-customers-tend-to-be-really-high-end/)

[James Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gosling/)

> [Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/profit-in-business-comes-from-repeat-customers-customers-that-boast/)

[W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/)

> [“There’s barely a product or service on the market today that customers can’t buy from someone else for about the same price, about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/there-s-barely-a-product-or-service-on-the-market-today-that/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [Customers are still setting the technology agenda. Not just you, our customers, but your customers as well. What more and more are telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/customers-are-still-setting-the-technology-agenda-not-just-you-our/)

[Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/)

> [Your customers are the customers of other brands who occasionally buy you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-s-c-ehrenberg/your-customers-are-the-customers-of-other-brands-who-occasionally-buy/)

Andrew S. C. Ehrenberg

> [Take good care of your employees, and they'll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-marriott/take-good-care-of-your-employees-and-they-ll-take-good-care-of-your/)

[J. Willard Marriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-willard-marriott/)

> [The point is... you'd better figure out what your Customers - the Customers you want - value. Because that's what they'll buy. Anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/the-point-is-you-d-better-figure-out-what-your-customers-the/)

[Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/)

> [Because I didn't have much money, I bought a small shop that fit my budget. The previous six owners had closed their business in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/do-won-chang/because-i-didn-t-have-much-money-i-bought-a-small-shop-that-fit-my/)

[Do Won Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/do-won-chang/)

> [ Any small business owner wears many hats. We \[New View Window Cleaning\] are the salesman, bookkeeper, scheduler, cleaner, customer complaint department, etc. If you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/any-small-business-owner-wears-many-hats-we-new-view-window-cleaning/)

[Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/)

> [The modern joint stock firm is the outcome of innumerable decisions made by individual entrepreneurs, owners and managers. For these decision makers the choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-d-chandler-jr/the-modern-joint-stock-firm-is-the-outcome-of-innumerable-decisions/)

Alfred D. Chandler, Jr

> [You could also say that a precious brand often has rituals associated with it. They reinforce the specialness of the brand. And of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-doyle/you-could-also-say-that-a-precious-brand-often-has-rituals-associated/)

Andrew Doyle

> [Investors, of course, can, by their own behavior make stock ownership highly risky. And many do. Active trading, attempts to "time" market movements, inadequate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/investors-of-course-can-by-their-own-behavior-make-stock-ownership/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

## More by Norman Pearlstine

> [We should want our advertising to be compelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/we-should-want-our-advertising-to-be-compelling/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [Just as there's some technologies that jeopardize revenue for traditional products, there are also technologies that can significantly lower costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/just-as-there-s-some-technologies-that-jeopardize-revenue-for/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [The issues for journalism and journalists, we see obvious places where presentation is very different in a digital space from traditional print. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/the-issues-for-journalism-and-journalists-we-see-obvious-places-where/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [I think there's huge room for a personality who can create a following, and that personality can be a person or a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/i-think-there-s-huge-room-for-a-personality-who-can-create-a/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [I've always had an interest in geopolitics and macroeconomics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/i-ve-always-had-an-interest-in-geopolitics-and-macroeconomics/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [If our brands are going to be in print and on mobile handsets and in video and events, we have to acknowledge that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/if-our-brands-are-going-to-be-in-print-and-on-mobile-handsets-and-in/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [The technology is not only the way we change stories, but also changing the relationship to the consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/the-technology-is-not-only-the-way-we-change-stories-but-also/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [Native advertising covers an awful lot of stuff. In many ways, it's just an extension of what in print had been called for years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/native-advertising-covers-an-awful-lot-of-stuff-in-many-ways-it-s/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [I tend to be more interested in the trend pieces than who got a licensing deal for sunglasses, but that's not surprising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/i-tend-to-be-more-interested-in-the-trend-pieces-than-who-got-a/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [I'm much more optimistic about the future than I probably was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/i-m-much-more-optimistic-about-the-future-than-i-probably-was/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [Yes, there may be some convergence to what you see on a screen that's different from the way you will experience a magazine in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/yes-there-may-be-some-convergence-to-what-you-see-on-a-screen-that-s/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [There are newsweeklies that are dead. Some may still be walking, but they're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/there-are-newsweeklies-that-are-dead-some-may-still-be-walking-but/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [I think there's still room for compelling voices to build up and get a great following.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/i-think-there-s-still-room-for-compelling-voices-to-build-up-and-get/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [If we can help an advertiser refine a message so it works for our consumers, we should be doing that, but at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/if-we-can-help-an-advertiser-refine-a-message-so-it-works-for-our/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

> [You can't just reprise the news. You have to have journalism that makes a point and you have to be in sync with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/you-can-t-just-reprise-the-news-you-have-to-have-journalism-that/)

[Norman Pearlstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

[Explore all 16 Norman Pearlstine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/)

## More Customer quotes

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/)

Michael Fishman

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/)

[Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/)

> [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/)

[Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/)

> [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/)

[Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/)

> [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/)

[Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/)

> [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. This is as it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/when-companies-get-big-they-devote-most-of-their-care-and-feeding-to/)

[Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/)

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

[Browse all 9,257 Customer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You learn a lot from your customers, and when your customers are also your owners, you learn even more.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Norman Pearlstine"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and-when-your-customers-are-also/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Customer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and-when-your-customers-are-also/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/norman-pearlstine-31299_customer_you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and_360154.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/norman-pearlstine-31299_customer_you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and_360154.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/norman-pearlstine-31299_customer_you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and_360154.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You learn a lot from your customers, and when your customers are also your owners, you learn even more.” — Norman Pearlstine",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Norman Pearlstine",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-pearlstine/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You learn a lot from your...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and-when-your-customers-are-also/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-pearlstine/you-learn-a-lot-from-your-customers-and-when-your-customers-are-also/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
