Netflix Doesn't Really Know You... and Neither Does Your Customer Persona, And That’s a Good Thing...

Why the best marketers stay curious, challenge assumptions, and make better business decisions

Dear Netflix,

We've been together for years. You've seen my late-night binges, my Sunday afternoon documentaries, my occasional rom-com phase, and yes...that one reality show I watched because I had to.

You know when I pause. You know what I have finished. You know what I abandon after 15 minutes.

So, tell me...Why are you still recommending zombie apocalypse movies?

(Actually...don't answer that. I probably clicked on one by accident.)

The funny thing is, Netflix isn't doing anything wrong. It's simply doing what it's designed to do.

It's looking for patterns.

It studies what I've watched, what I've searched for, and what people with similar viewing habits enjoy. Then it makes its best guess about what I'll want to watch next. Sometimes it nails it. Other times, I wonder if someone else has been using my account.

And that got me thinking... Whether it's Netflix, AI, personality assessments, customer personas—or even astrology—we're all trying to do the same thing:

Understand people well enough to predict what they'll do next.

The difference? Netflix gets another chance to recommend something tomorrow. Many businesses don't always get a second chance with a customer.

That's why understanding people matters.

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We All Love Labels...Until We Don't

Recently, I've had several conversations about personality assessments. One client asked about my Myers-Briggs type (I'm an INTP, which probably explains why I'm always asking "Why?"). Someone else asked my Zodiac sign (Gemini, if you're curious).

It made me realize that Myers-Briggs, DISC, astrology, customer personas, AI, and behavioral economics all have something in common.  They're frameworks. They're designed to help us make sense of people.

And they're incredibly useful... Until we start believing the whole story.

We've all heard things like:

• "I'm an INTP, so networking isn't my thing."

• "She's a Gemini...that explains everything."

• "Our ideal customer is a 42-year-old female executive."

Maybe. Maybe not.

Frameworks are wonderful places to start. They're dangerous places to stop. The best marketers—and the best business leaders—stay curious enough to keep asking questions.

Curiosity Beats Assumptions

Businesses love categories. Boomers. Gen Z. Luxury buyers. Budget shoppers. High-value clients.

Those labels help us organize our thinking, but they don't explain why people buy, what motivates them, or what they're struggling with today. The companies that grow the fastest don't simply categorize customers. They stay curious.

Here are five simple ways to do that:

• Talk to your customers: Ask why they chose you and what problem they were trying to solve.

• Read your reviews, ask for feedback & listen: Your customers will tell you how to improve

• Watch behavior, not just words: What people do is often more revealing than what they say.

• Listen to your front-line employees: They're hearing customer questions every day.

• Use AI to spot patterns and human judgment to understand. Data tells you what's happening, but human thought helps you discover why.

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Curiosity Can Change Everything:

Not long ago, I worked with a company that thought they knew exactly who their ideal customer was. Their marketing reflected it. Their messaging reflected it.

Everything made sense...Until we started asking more questions. We talked to customers. Read reviews. Looked at buying behavior. Listened to the sales team. What we discovered surprised everyone. Many of their loyal and most profitable customers didn't fit the original profile at all.

Once they understood why those customers were buying, they adjusted their messaging, refined the customer journey, and uncovered opportunities they hadn't even considered. The data wasn't wrong. It just wasn't telling the whole story.

Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't collecting more information. It's looking at the information you already have with fresh eyes.

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Human Advantage: Artificial intelligence is amazing at recognizing patterns. But businesses still need people to recognize meaning. That's where leadership—and great marketing—come in. The goal isn't to put customers into better boxes. The goal is to understand the humans behind the data.

So, what do Netflix, Myers-Briggs, customer personas, and even the Zodiac have in common? They're all trying to help us understand people. They're useful tools. But they're not the final answer.

The businesses that thrive are the ones that remain curious, challenge assumptions, connect the dots, and never stop learning. Because better questions lead to better insights. Better insights lead to better decisions. And better decisions lead to better businesses.

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What do you think?  Have you ever discovered that your customers weren't who you thought they were?

Or has a personality assessment, customer persona, or AI tool ever helped you see things differently? We’d love to hear more.

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At Biz Made EZ, we help businesses uncover the insights hiding in plain sight. We connect the dots, clarify what the data is really saying, and help you build marketing strategies that connect with people.   If you'd like a fresh perspective on your marketing, let’s talk. Because sometimes the biggest breakthrough doesn't come from collecting more data. It comes from asking better questions.

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About Debbie Goldfarb: Debbie Goldfarb is the founder of Biz Made EZ, where she helps small businesses and manufacturers uncover customer insights, strengthen their marketing, and make smarter business decisions through data, strategy, and a healthy dose of curiosity.

Connect with Debbie at debbieg@bizmadeez.com.