Nice product strategists fall in love with the person’s downside, not the answer.
“Query every thing. Study one thing. Reply nothing” — Euripides
It appeared customers hated the location or at the least weren’t partaking as anticipated. Unable to provide you with a purpose, I saved asking myself why. I simply launched a killer characteristic that ought to have considerably elevated person engagement on the location. Who doesn’t love free content material, in spite of everything? Particularly a completely free information to SEO (this was greater than a decade in the past). All I requested for was their e-mail.
But, after engaged on the launch all night time, I sat in my home questioning why. I used to be drained, pissed off, and bewildered. Possibly I simply wanted some sleep. Sure, that’s it. Take a break. So I stepped away for just a few days. I wouldn’t have a look at the metrics.
After I got here again, nothing modified. Now I used to be in full-on panic mode. Was there an issue with the location? Did I waste all that point creating wonderful content material solely to fail? In fact I did. What I wished wasn’t according to my person’s expectations. I wasn’t fixing their downside; I used to be fixing my very own. I wished their e-mail. They wished free content material first. It was a standoff.
There’s a well-known saying from Stephen Covey, “Start with the top in thoughts.” This quote is taken by many as enterprise gospel. In relation to product technique, nothing may very well be farther from the reality. It could be finest in case you start with out something in thoughts.
All too typically, we consider we already know the reply. That’s the place we go incorrect. I believed customers would need my content material badly sufficient to commerce their e-mail, no questions requested. I failed the primary take a look at of product technique.
I began with what I believed. I began with what I wished. I didn’t begin with the issue my customers had. I started with the top in thoughts — which was to get their e-mail.
On the time, SEO was a little bit of a black field. Enterprise leaders knew it was important, nevertheless it was the area of search engine entrepreneurs and gurus. Gurus who, in my view, charged method an excessive amount of cash to coach you on a self-discipline evolving at warp pace. I wished to alter that. To promote a course that advanced with what labored in search engine advertising and marketing. I wished to offer it at a disruptive worth level.
I knew that to succeed I wanted to construct a sizeable e-mail checklist. With common conversion charges within the single digits, a big variety of emails was the one option to gross sales. The query was how you can get these emails.
I feel you may see the place I went incorrect. I wasn’t in love with the person’s downside; I used to be in love with my very own problem — getting emails to promote a course that met my targets.
What did I do subsequent? Fortunately, I didn’t proceed to consider in or execute a failed technique. As an alternative, I believed lengthy and exhausting about the issue — not my downside, however my person’s downside. Earlier than you’re employed or rework a product technique, you should know what your consumers and customers will need. Solely then are you able to create a product that may promote.
I simply wanted to seek out the fitting downside I might resolve that will make a person really feel comfy sharing their e-mail and concurrently constructing belief. Sadly, I incorrectly thought customers had been so determined to be taught SEO that they might soar on the alternative to present me their contact data.
Discovering the fitting downside to give attention to is difficult, little question. But, the success of your product relies on it. Finally, I believed in my coronary heart that there was a marketplace for my product. I simply wanted sufficient emails to show it.
Stepping again, I ended worrying about emails and refocused on the person downside. Why would a person need the knowledge I needed to supply within the first place? Nice downside exploration begins with sticky notes you may put in your wall. My tough ideas on the time had been:
- Affordability: Was it a query of value customers had been making an attempt to unravel?
- Supply: Was it a query of hiring a guru vs. agency vs. DIY?
- Updates: Information within the SEO house was evolving on the pace of the web. Was it a query of maintaining updated?
- Overwhelmed: Did customers really feel overwhelmed and paralyzed by the problem of studying SEO, which gave the impression to be a black field?
- Do it Your self (DIY): Did customers even wish to be taught SEO within the first place?
I then began jotting down why my goal, small and medium-sized companies (SMBs), would hesitate to share their e-mail.
- SMBs wish to attempt earlier than they purchase in a low-pressure, low-risk method
- SMBs wish to defend their e-mail from spam
- SMBs want to know what they’re getting in return for his or her e-mail
- SMBs wanted to know they may belief me earlier than sharing one thing private, their e-mail
Whereas illustrative and never the exhaustive checklist, I feel you may guess the place I landed. Customers wanted to know they may belief me earlier than sharing one thing private, their e-mail.
Then, after speaking with just a few customers, I landed on the next revised downside assertion.
Small and medium-sized enterprise house owners wish to optimize their website to rank excessive in search outcomes to drive gross sales. Nevertheless, they may not afford gurus or advertising and marketing corporations. As an alternative, they should be taught on their very own. But, they concern losing time, studying solely to fail given the pace of change. Subsequently, they wanted not solely to be taught however hold their data updated, they usually wished to maneuver at their very own tempo.
Quick ahead to the answer. I’d open-source the bottom information and supply a free publication. Thefreeseoguide.com was born (word: I shut it down years in the past). Customers who offered their e-mail deal with might obtain the information (versus entry on-line solely) and obtain the newest SEO information of their inbox. This method achieved the target, constructed belief, and emails began coming in. It additionally allowed me to promote the course with ongoing updates at a disruptive worth level. By understanding and specializing in the person downside, I achieved my purpose.
Over time, I can’t depend the instances I’ve been requested how you can decide the fitting downside assertion. Whereas there isn’t a magic components to choosing the proper downside assertion, there’s a framework I take advantage of to slender down the choices. Finally it comes all the way down to prioritizing for influence at scale.
- Influence: What’s the internet optimistic influence of fixing the issue assertion for the person and your group? For instance, will it enhance a key metric (e.g., income) by greater than 50%? Will it scale back a person’s time to finish an motion by greater than 50%? Influence means important enchancment.
- Scale: How far does the issue attain? You wish to know that the attain is way sufficient that the influence will translate to tangible outcomes. 100% influence on 1% of the income or one buyer will produce no worth at scale. Higher than 50% attain, in fact, with the occasional exception, is the goal.
- Candy Spot Quadrant: The no-brainer class. You’re above 50% attain and 50% metric influence. Your path is obvious in case you solely have one downside assertion on this class.
- Take into account Quadrant: These are downside statements price contemplating however shouldn’t be your first alternative. If in case you have no downside statements within the Candy Spot, I encourage you to take one other cross. On the finish of the day, in case you can solely provide you with an issue assertion that impacts 50% of the members however has an 80% influence, it’s nonetheless price exploring.
- Why Hassle / Not Sufficient Influence Quadrants: Don’t transfer ahead.
Your purpose is to seek out an issue assertion that hits the candy spot. An issue that may attain sufficient customers/consumers and have sufficient influence to generate significant outcomes on your group (e.g., income) and your consumers/customers (e.g., time saved).
I can’t stress this level sufficient — be sure to nail an issue assertion that may have an effect at scale earlier than you progress to the following step within the product technique. In case you can’t discover one for the product you wish to create, you need to return to the product idea drafting board.
Within the case of my search engine marketing coaching and consulting enterprise, I lastly landed on an issue assertion that I felt had sufficient influence at scale. Nevertheless, I additionally discovered that it’s essential to first begin your product technique with an issue orientation.
It’s by no means good to construct an answer that solves solely your downside and one that’s not sufficiently big to influence your corporation. As an alternative, begin by asking your self, will this downside be significant for my person or purchaser or group — and have sufficient scale potential to be well worth the time invested?
