Startup Secrets Sandbox

Startup Secrets Sandbox

EVALUATE the Solution

Gain/Pain

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How do you evaluate Gain / Pain and make a compelling Claim

Break it down into Gains and Pains as well as Inertia and Risk.

Get the proof so you can turn it into a compelling Claim that is credible and customer validated

Gains

What are your prospective customer’s expected gains—from their viewpoint?

What are their measures for success of using your product?

Keep asking them until they have fully explained what success look likes and how they would measure it.

Pains

Most entrepreneurs are so focused on the features they deliver, they forget to examine how hard it will be for customers to everything from find to adopt and use their product.

Startup Secret: Ask your potential customer all the reasons they would not buy your product.

Keep asking them until they have fully exhausted all their reasons.

Hint: Price is the easy one but likely the least important in the early stages.

Not only out of pocket expenses but also psychological pain

Inertia, Risk

This is likely the number one reason your initial prospects won’t buy. Ask them what it would take to be credible enough for them to work with you. Then figure out how to work around them, eg:

Perhaps initially on a design partnership

Or a pilot

Then a proof of concept

Etc.

Claims

In the end you customer need proof of your gain / pain ratio that can become a compelling claim that they can’t resist. So think about how you’re going to get that:

What data can you show that supports this gain / pain ratio?

Would your customers agree with you and validate these claims?

If so could they be references for you and tell their stories of how they overcame their resitstance to try your product, then worked through the prains of adoption and became believers as they saw the outsized gains for themselves?

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