How to Posion Ideas & Soluons - Contingent CXO...How to Posion Ideas & Soluons: Version 1.0 – 4th July 2017 Respect With a Capital C Firstly, some general house keeping.!!! It may

Version1.0–4thJuly2017

HowtoPosi)onIdeas&Solu)ons

BroughttoyoubyCon9ngentCXO,

Incollabora9onwithThoughtBranch.

HowtoPosi)onIdeas&Solu)ons:


Index

The principles in this eBook leverage Lean and Growth Hacking methodologies, and reflect the early activity required to explore product or service ideas, before testing the solution.! 1.  Perceived Customer Problem – page 5

2.  Audience – page 10

3.  Customer Mindset – page 14

4.  Positioning Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Messaging – page 18

5.  Summary wrap up – page 23 !Conducting these exercises prior to any design or build centres teams with a clear understanding of what is required, to ensure that each representative involved in the build is aligned.! !Putting each member in the shoes of the person you’re trying to reach collectively validates the concept to avoid significant waste of resources.!!It is simply the platform for the success of any solution.!

2



Introduc)on

Positioning is everything. Almost. And just so that we position this correctly with you, our reader…!!We’re often ‘convinced’ a solution will be hugely popular. Though millions of examples before us in every size of business show otherwise – wasted time, money and resources on something that no one really wanted, or there were insufficient volumes for it to be provided commercially.!!!This document is a guide for validating ideas early on, and to give them a solid foundation that will help achieve traction. It applies to almost any type of business solution, whether through routine product development in your company, enhancing your job output or for an entrepreneur’s new idea.! !If you want to cut to the chase, it can be summed up in one word – patience – because you still have to go through it all if you want to be successful. No matter how excited we get for a new idea that will improve, change or even revolutionise, positioning must be addressed before design or build.! !!We hope you enjoy the read.!!From the team at Contingent CXO,!in collaboration with Thought Branch.!

3



RespectWithaCapitalC

Firstly, some general house keeping.!!!It may be a small thing, though get your teams to use capital ‘C’ for Customer (or Client) and Competitor in everything you write.!!At the end of the day, you’re producing it for a Customer and you’re at risk of being beaten by a Competitor, so what is more important than that?!!Not the technical solution, not the branding, not the processes. Each needs to be respected and taken seriously, so treat them as if you would your friend with their first name.!!!It’s a subtle point, though helps keep the Customer at the centre of everything you do, and maintains a healthy respect for Competitors throughout the lifespan of your product or service. Everything you and your team do should be around these two.!

4


1.CustomerProblemAreYouTellingOrAsking?



Other People’s Problems (OPP)

It may be your problem as well, but it’s definitely someone else’s. So you’re not necessarily communicating to yourself, you’re communicating to someone who may think differently to you – but still wants or needs your solution.! !Identifying ideas and solutions to progress life around us can be hugely rewarding, though doing this without understanding what we’re solving can mean we get no where.!!We all have friends (if not ourselves) who have seen an invention in the media and said “Oh I thought of that years ago”, but did nothing. We’ve all got ideas. We’ve all got experience. We’ve all got advice to give others.!!!But how do we make our own idea a reality?!!

6

1.CustomerProblemAreYouTellingOrAsking



Defining The Problem

The first thing to do is stop talking about your idea, and completely re-centre your discussions and those of your team around the specific problem that the idea is trying to solve.!!Continually rework this into a problem statement that is clear in everyone’s mind. This is the baseline against which to test your solution (later).! !A problem consists of three things:!•  A trigger, event or scenario!•  A specific person or group in this situation, and!•  Resultant pain or inconvenience that this person experiences! !Consider shaping these into a problem statement helps crystallise the concept that the solution aims to address, and serves as a baseline for all work to be done.!!

7




Defining The Problem (cont.)!For example:!

“Men in their 20’s have difficulty selecting aftershaves that suit them,!meaning they waste money or don’t buy because lack confidence.”!Ø  This identifies the audience, the problem and the pain!Ø  The solution could have been anything from a new aftershave-test kit to match skin types so

more aftershave is sold, or a new shaving gel with aftershave already in it!Ø  If you just position your solution as scented shaving gel, or a free kit, you’re not being clear

on the problem the user faces!Ø  Without this clarity, you can’t adequately develop targeted messaging to specific users!

!!Or if it is a third party who has the issue, but impacts your Client:!

“The Customer of our Client is getting poor experience in their industry. This means our Client may lose business. They risk losing significant market share if their Competitors address first.”!Ø  In coming up with your idea, you may have assumed that the poor experience is significant

enough for your Client to address!Ø  Articulating the problem (not the solution) helps you validate this with your existing or

potential Clients before you build it!

8




Defining The Problem (cont.)!The point is, without being clear on the specific problem, we easily get side tracked with the importance of our solution, rather than considering the actual needs and concerns of the person it is for. There will be different ways and price points to target problems, and different costs as well.! !!Some useful considerations are:!•  Who is the Customer?!•  Are they aware they have this problem?!•  Is anyone else currently addressing the problem?!•  How severe is the pain this problem presents?!•  How much would they be willing to pay to make the problem go away?!

9



2.AudienceCanYouHearMeUpTheBack



Everyone Wants What We’re Making – Let’s Offer It To Everyone!!You might be convinced that your idea will appeal to everyone, though there are specific reasons for targeting a target user or buyer to start with:!!1.  Focused messaging – knowing the particular audience allows communications to be tailored,

instead of a catch-all. This in turn increases effectiveness of messages!

2.  Feedback loop – reactions become more consistent from a specific group, enabling immediate tailoring of messages in response!

3.  Early adopters – focusing on a select group of ‘likely’ early users usually means they’re more forgiving as are willing to try out new things!

4.  Not the final Customer – conversely, the ultimate target of your proposed solution differ to early users, reluctant until it’s been proven. Better to focus on, advertise to and solicit users who will give feedback!

11

2.AudienceCanYouHearMeUpTheBack?



Defining Audience – Who To Target!An audience isn’t just a Customer, it’s a group. If you’re selling toys to kids, the buyer is primarily the adult with the money, not the kid.! !Defining whom you’re targeting, and when, is a way of mapping out the market of decision makers, influencers, users and buyers. This can sometimes be the same or a combination for parties, or otherwise four distinct groups, particularly when your Customer is a company.! !If the solution has an individual recipient, it’s still worthwhile thinking through all of the roles. Maybe influencers are their friends (social credibility). Maybe the buyer is the parent. Understanding what the appeal is for each category helps to lay out the messages you need to communicate.!!!Even if you end up rolling it all back into one recipient, you will at least know what are their areas of consideration when making a purchase, and can weight them and talk to them accordingly.!

12




Targeting A Company!

Profiling all of these areas is definitely required when it’s an organisation that requires your solution. With it, there is need to get to a certain level of personae for each target, as you will likely need to engage with them throughout the sales cycle.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Engagement is not linear, as each will need to be approached at different times, with different information presented up front and updates varied respectively. There is very likely to be a to-and-fro approach between parties to ‘weave’ them together, and the importance or representation of each will differ per solution, and per company. Only constant dialogue with them will make this clear.!

13

Decision Maker!•  The default choice to approach, though not necessarily

the most important, or even the first!•  Understanding whom they consider to be important in

the process is essential information to identify up front! !

Influencer!•  Potentially the manager of the team the solution is for,

or other groups from whom funding may be diverted!•  They will have their own resistance points, concern and

elements of appeal! !

User!•  Getting user buy-in early means they add ground-swell

to influence, though also reduces risk of them disrupting the success after implementation!

•  Backlash from users not involved in the process can cause reputational damage for your solution!

!

Buyer (financer)!•  While value may be obvious to users, influencers &

decision makers, it may not be to the specific buyer!•  It is therefore important to understand and present

comparative value, relative to the problem currently faced or alternate available solutions!



3.CustomerMindsetGreyMaSerMaSers



Purpose of Customer Personae!While your particular idea may be instantly appealing to everybody on the planet, more often than not it won’t be. Sorry.!!One of the biggest areas of failure in developing and launching an idea or solution is therefore in failing to understand how the target thinks. Identifying the core focus of each audience, as outlined above, is the starting point.!!Though this needs to be complimented with the use of Customer story, journey or personae – used in marketing, Agile development, Lean Manufacturing and Lean Startup for some time. Unfortunately, while a well-worn approach, so many people who attempt to use these methods do so as an obligatory exercise, without understanding their importance, or what to do with outputs, and dismiss the results.!!If all you do is monotonously fill out a template of some kind, then that’s exactly what you’ll get out of it – a monotonous document.!!Instead, you need to treat it as truly getting into the headspace of your intended target. You not trying to get this completely right, as it’s not possible or needed. The objective isn’t to know what the target Customer will think about your solution, it’s to understand how they think in general. Firm up an educated guess of ‘who’ the person is that you’re trying to reach, and how they behave. This in turn creates the basis for separately developing messages. Be patient. It works. Really.!

15

3.CustomerMindsetGreyMaNerMaNers



Developing Customer Personae!So work around Audience is to identify who to target, but developing Customer personae is to understand that target – what they like, what they don’t, what will influence and appeal to them.! !How do you know the answers? You don’t, but if you’ve identified an idea or solution already then you’ll have a decent enough view of the type of features relating to the target person you had in mind who would benefit from it. More importantly, while it still may be akin to throwing a dart in the dark, it’s at least knowing to throw it in the right direction. From here, you can learn and adjust.! !People are just people. The exercise isn’t to ‘get it right’, it’s to list out your thoughts in certain categories to paint a picture of the person, for yourself and for anyone else working on the solution to not only understand, but to be in agreement with.!!!Make a judgement call, have a guess, put something down for all categories and literally visualise what the person looks like and what their life is like. This will help everyone visualise how this person will be impacted by the proposed solution, so must be done before any design or build commences.! !Resign yourself to the fact that the output will be nothing more than a text illustration of a person, though one that you and the team can collectively picture. This is just one more step in the journey to positioning, and not an end in itself.!

16




Developing Customer Personae (cont.)!Some relevant headings for a one page personae can be:!•  Title – yep, give them a basic description, e.g. “Young shaving male adults”, or “Office stationary

purchaser”. It doesn’t have to be perfect at first, just a working title you refine once finished!

•  Who are they!Ø  Demographics – Age, work behaviour, social behaviour!Ø  Background – Experience, vocation, employment!Ø  Identifiers – Personal qualities!Ø  Other behaviours, e.g. Pattern of Online Usage!

•  Why are they a target!Ø  Drivers: interests, desires, what makes them happy!Ø  Challenges: typical concerns, difficulties, uncertainties!Ø  Common objections: write out sentences they’re likely to say!

•  What are they looking for!Ø  Goals: personal, professional, etc!Ø  Interests: social, development, etc!

17



4.Posi9oningUniqueValueProposi9on

(messaging)UVPforOPP



Unique Mystique !!We’re going to assume you have a unique value proposition. The only oxymoron about this is that things are rarely unique, so if you can make it ‘somewhat’ unique and promote the heck out of it, you’re pretty close. Don’t tell anyone we said this, not everyone agrees…!!!Consider your ROI from your UVP for OPP. It’s not just financial investment; it’s your time. Each of the aspects outlined so far do create more up front work though by fleshing out the target you can understand how to develop messages, and ultimately how to reach them.! !Once you have the Audience and Personae in place, a basis of whom to target and how they think, next is to define messages.! !Remember, you’re not necessarily selling, just having messages ready to use in positioning the concept when you test it (see Lean Startup below). It’s therefore important not to push out too much of the messaging early on, but defining it will help you with ‘elevator pitches’, discussions with investors, or simply explaining the solution to other parties as you refine it.!

19

4.Posi)oningUniqueValueProposi)onMessagingUVPforOPP



Be Aware – 5 Stages of Awareness!To guide your message positioning, it’s important to know your target audience’s level of awareness. Eugene Schwartz outlined these in Breakthrough Advertising (1966) as 5 distinct phases:!!1. The Most Aware: knows your product is the solution, and only needs to know “the offer”!

•  Centre Around: incentive, urgency, scarcity!

2. Product-Aware: aware solutions exist, but don’t know your product is THE solution!•  Centre Around: your product solution!

3. Solution-Aware: aware solutions exist, but don’t know your product is a solution!•  Centre Around: emotion and wants!

4. Problem-Aware: aware of the problem, but unaware there are solutions!•  Centre Around: pain severity and importance to resolve!

5. Completely Unaware: unaware they have the problem!•  Centre Around: overarching idea / concept of the problem, to put the seed in their mind!

20




Message In A Bottle!Right up front, it’s worth noting that if you’re not an amazing writer, be prepared to hire a copywriter to produce the actual text and messages. If you give them the audience and personae, they’ll thank you – and maybe charge you less. Though the principle is that one (ad) size does not fit all.! !As the copywriter would do, review the personae again, and again, to make sure you feel like you know the person. Don’t worry about the nuances of demographics and identifiers, you’re trying to get a feel for them. Like hunting, you have to think how they will behave and where you can find them.!!With a persona to one side, map out thoughts of the main things that could be on their mind:!•  Title – take from the persona!•  Interests – list what you feel their two main interests may be, by copying the persona directly or

amalgamating points from it!•  Concerns – list two points of their likely main concerns, what they want to overcome or don’t

know how to address themselves!•  Copywriting – write two basic points of how you feel your solution satisfies these Interests or

allays these Concerns !!This will give you the core messages you want to convey, the meaning of your solution, rather than simply trying to sell the solution. This becomes the basis of all copywriting for short Facebook ads or longer passages or blog topics.!

21




Tell Me What You Really Think! !!A useful tool to use for the development of messages is the marketing method of AIDA:!•  Attention: short sentence that directly resonates with their problem !•  Interest: outline an offer that is likely to solve this (offer, not sell)!•  Desire: their want to find out more, or exclusivity if they accept the offer!•  Action: an immediate action they can take to accept or find out more! !!

Channels – Tune In To Their World !!Having a feeling of who the target person is also gives an indication on where to find them. Again, it’s not fool proof, though a much better start than doing expensive mass-market advertising in the hope you will reach them. Whether through digital channels such as Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, other established media including electronic direct mails of industry players, or even through partnerships.! !Going through this will give further opportunity to refine messages & positioning, as platforms such as Facebook prompt for categories like type of people, interests, behaviours, employers and even job titles. At that point you will need to find target Customers, who needs your solution the most in the short term, and who is likely to give feedback.!

22



5.SummaryAndNowTheEndIsNear(orisitthebeginning?)



The intention of this document was how to position ideas and solutions, as opposed to building, developing and promoting. The key aspects are:!•  Crystallise specific business problem!•  Be clear on your audience, including influencers!•  Develop personae for each relevant recipient of your messages!•  Positioning UVP with the right messaging! ! !

“But That’s Not All!” !!Further preparation can be done through:!•  Competitive landscape!

Ø  Profiling – identify the messaging already out there!Ø  Quality – determine the effectiveness of the messaging!Ø  Comparative – determine where you will position your solution!

•  Internal resources!Ø  Ensure everyone is aligned with the perceived mindset of the Customer and the associated

messaging. There must be a common voice across the team involved with it!

24




Where To Next !!From here you can slip into determining market fit using Lean Startup (Eric Ries) and Scaling Lean (Ash Maurya). This will map out the route for:!•  Lean Canvas – develop to test and learn hypothesis!•  Validated learning – hypothesis, build, measure, learning loop !•  Develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)!

Ø  Establish a baseline!Ø  Test the riskiest assumptions first!Ø  Define how to record data on each assumption!

•  Conduct cohort analysis & split tests! !We trust this provides you with some valuable and practical steps to really map out the baseline for building your solution. Feel free to reach out and chat further if you have feedback or any suggestions for enhancement.!!Regards,!Derek Waterhouse!Chief Question Officer

25



So,WhatAreYourIdeas?

Ifyouhaveideasyouwanttotossaroundorinputondevelopingthem,checkoutthedepthofExpertsat:

ThoughtBranch.com

They’renotours,they’reyours.

Alterna9vely,visitusatCon9ngentCXO.com

Documents

How to Posion Ideas & Soluons - Contingent CXO...How to Posion Ideas & Soluons: Version 1.0 – 4th July 2017 Respect With a Capital C Firstly, some general house keeping.!!! It may