It's impossible to separate your customers from your product. The moment you begin to define a new product is the moment after you've thought of a way of attracting more customers.

So, when you actually build a product and customers start to engage, there's probably no more of an exciting outcome for the product team. But, how do you keep them? Well, here's what I'm thinking at the moment:

• Constantly find ways to tell your customers you appreacite them.
• Use you and love your product yourself. If you like and care about it the chances are this will show through in the product.
• Listen to customers and always enhance things with customers (not sales) in mind.
• Talk to customers (ensure the bucket tests and focus groups are balanced and on-going.)
• Focus on creating value for customers as much as creating value for your company.
• Don't stand still. Try lots of things.
• Expect and accept failure and cut the relevant product features where necessary.
• Find new customers all the time.
• 'Delight' - find ways to introduce things they just would never expect.

I wrote this post off-the back of my blog post on lovemoney.com. As a product manager it's exciting to be a part of a team that genuinely focuses on the above as much as it can.