How Data Tells You What to Build (And What to Skip) with Patrick Quiery

When every customer, executive, and competitor has an opinion about what you should build next, how do you know what actually matters?In this episode, Patrick Quiery, VP of Product at IntelliShift, joins Chris Rader to talk about how data, not instinct, guides great product decisions. From fleet management to SaaS, Patrick has spent over a decade transforming complex feedback into clear product direction.You’ll learn how he:Turns customer noise into meaningful product signalsUses data to navigate executive pressure and competing prioritiesValidates ideas early (and often) to avoid building in a vacuumBalances innovation with focus in a high-stakes, hardware-plus-software worldWhether you’re a product leader, PM, or UX researcher, this episode will help you use data to build what customers really want, without losing focus along the way.Watch, learn, and launch with confidence.*Note that at around (10:02) we lost part of Patrick's response to Chris's question due to a technical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience.(00:22) – Meet Patrick Quiery, VP of Product at IntelliShift(01:15) – The art of saying no without losing customers(03:39) – Balancing customer requests with company focus(04:30) – How to say no to big customers with grace and data(06:36) – Handling internal feedback and executive requests(07:34) – Why data is the ultimate decision filter(08:20) – Measuring feature impact and product ROI(09:08) – Finding insights in support tickets and lost deals(10:06) – How social media reveals competitor weaknesses(12:12) – Why partnerships and integrations create stickier products(14:00) – How to decide what to build versus what to buy(14:40) – The AI shift in gathering and connecting feedback(15:37) – Scoring customer feedback to prioritize what matters most(16:29) – How to validate ideas early and often(17:30) – The 3 stages of user validation (IntelliShift method)(18:35) – Prototyping and design validation with real customers(19:38) – The power of alpha and beta tests in launch readiness(20:58) – Rapid fire questions(22:16) – The book that predicted the future of tech (The Four)(23:41) – Leaders Patrick admires and what they teach product teams(24:48) – From forensics to product management(25:41) – How Patrick unplugs and recharges