FIRST THE LOCK. THEN THE KEY.
It doesn’t make sense to make a key and then run around and try to find a lock to open.
The only productive solution is to find a lock and then fashion a key.
The same is true in product development. It's always easier to develop products and services for the customers you aim to serve than to find customers for your existing products and services. That's why understanding your target customer is crucial for building irresistible value propositions.
The only productive solution is to find a lock and then fashion a key.
The same is true in product development. It's always easier to develop products and services for the customers you aim to serve than to find customers for your existing products and services. That's why understanding your target customer is crucial for building irresistible value propositions.
One of my favorite frameworks for identifying high value problems to solve involves understanding a customer's pursuits, pains, and gains.
- pursuits - the lofty goals they're striving for
- pains - the hurdles holding them back
- gains - the outcomes they're eagerly anticipating
PURSUIT QUESTIONS
Pursuits describe the things your customers are trying to get done in their work or in their life. A customers’ pursuit could be the tasks they are trying to perform or complete, the problems they are trying to solve, or the needs they are trying to satisfy.
- What is something that your customer couldn’t live without accomplishing? What are the stepping stones that could help your customer achieve this key job?
- What tasks are your customers trying to perform in their work or personal life?
- What does your customer need to accomplish that involves interaction with others?
- Are there problems that you think customers have that they may not even be aware of?
- What emotional needs are your customers trying to satisfy?
- How do your customers want to be perceived by others?
- How does your customer want to feel?
PAIN QUESTIONS
Pains describe anything that annoys your customers before, during, and after trying to pursue something or prevents them from pursuing something. Pains also describe risks, that is, potential bad outcomes, related to pursuing something done badly or not at all.
- What makes your customers feel bad?
- What are their frustrations, annoyances, or things that give them a headache?
- How are current value propositions under-performing for your customers?
- What negative consequences do your customers encounter or fear?
- When they’re watching Netflix at 8:00pm at night and they start to drift into worry or fear… what are they thinking about?
- What common mistakes do your customers make? Are they using a solution the wrong way?
GAIN QUESTIONS
Gains describe the outcomes and benefits your customers want. Some gains are required, expected or desired by customers, and some would surprise them. Gains include something becoming more functionally useful, social gains, positive emotions, and cost savings.
- What would make your customers pursuits or lives easier?
- What positive social consequences do your customers desire? What makes them look good? What increases their power or their status?
- What do customers dream about? What do they aspire to achieve, or what would be a big relief to them?
- How do your customers measure success and failure?
The deeper your comprehension of a customer's existing pursuits, pains, and gains, the more adeptly you can craft the perfect key to unlock their challenges, much like a locksmith precision-crafts a key to fit a specific lock.
more tomorrow,
Hunter