Hi there -
Here is this week’s “1 principle, 2 strategies, and 3 actionable tactics” for running lean…
1 Universal Principle
“Chase the Bigger Context.”
Every product lives in two contexts: the tool or solution context and the bigger, more compelling context.
The danger with staying stuck in the solution context is missing the forest for the trees.
Let’s dive in:
2 Underlying Strategies at Play
I. Customers don’t care about your solution, but their desired outcomes.
People don’t want a drill-bit or even a quarter-inch hole:
- the drill-bit is a tool,
- the quarter-inch hole is a functional but undesired outcome.
They want what comes after the hole, like hanging a painting.
Build something that gets the job done by removing obstacles, providing a better desired outcome, or both.
II. Bigger desired outcomes unlock bigger problems worth solving.
Desired outcomes tap into wants versus needs. And people happily pay more for that.
Why? Because wants tap into emotion, while needs tap into function. We’re emotional beings.
Universal Goal = Make Happy Customers.
Here’s my 3-step framework for transcending the solution context and finding opportunities in the bigger context:
3 Actionable Tactics
I. Scope the bigger context by asking why.
Chase the bigger context by asking why your customers use your product until you see a smile on their face. That’s when you move from functional outcomes to desired outcomes.
Examples:
- drill a hole, secure a hook, hang a painting, :)
- create a lean canvas, pitch an idea, secure buy-in, :)
II. Explore the bigger context by asking how.
Once you’ve found the bigger context, then go to town, and ask how the customer gets the job done.
I find that carefully scripted customer interviews are the best tool for the job.
III. Uncover problems worth solving.
Problems worth solving usually come disguised as pet peeves, workaround, and struggles, not customer-declared problems.
This is a gift because if problems worth solving were so easy to see, they’d have been solved already.
Worse, when you ask customers for problems to solve, they give you solutions disguised as problems.
This why I never ask customers about problems, but use carefully scripted customer interviews to uncover them on my own.
That’s all for today. See you next week.
Ash
Author of Running Lean and creator of Lean Canvas
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P.S.
For the backstory of where I first learned about the bigger context and how it changed my identity and startup trajectory:
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P.P.S.
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