It really helps to know your customers. I saw two articles this week about businesses that stopped to listen and are doing great because they did.

Consumer electronics chain HMV in England has been around for 86 years. But it got a bit stodgy and profits started falling. The CEO even admitted they had lost touch with customers. So they got in tune with the younger generation and now offer all the things these big spenders love: free computer stations, music downloads to memory sticks, giant plasma TVs and even a juice bar. The results on the bottom line aren’t in yet, but HMV has turned itself into a retail destination by listening to its customers.

So has T-shirt store Lemon Rags in Burbank, Calif. The husband-and-wife owners started out as a recording studio selling T-shirts on the side. Turns out the customers were more interested in the rags than recording. So the owners concentrated on stocking pricey T-shirt and spun themselves out of the recording business. Again, they saw what turned their customers on and adjusted accordingly.

Having a passion for retail isn’t always the same has having a passion for what you’re selling. Key in to what your clientele wants and buys. It might not be what you had in mind, but if you listen—or in this case, respond—to buying patterns, you could become a niche destination with sales exceeding your original forecasts for a different product(s). Good luck and good listening!