There are no people out there desperate for your product or service, despite what you may think.
However groundbreaking/ incredible/ amazing your product or service may be, people who don’t know about it are probably getting on OK without it, in blissful ignorance.
Before the car people were happy to walk or ride a horse. Before the iPod people were happy with the walkman. Before WhatsApp people were happy with text messages. Before the lightbulb people were happy with candles. They weren’t crying out for something better because they didn’t know it existed and they didn’t know they had a problem with what they were doing.
More importantly, none of these created a need, they just replaced something by being better. The car is better than walking or riding a horse in many ways, but it did not create the need to take journeys. The iPod is better than a walkman, but it did not create the need for a portable music player.
If you want to to have a successful product/ service you need to start by answering these 4 questions:
1) Who do you want to buy/ use your product/ service?
You can define this in many ways, but the more precise the better. Such as; an 18-24 year old, tech-savvy, music lover, who commutes by train/tube/bus and likes to listen to a variety of different music.
(Your ‘who’ can change over time, when it does you need new answers for all 4 questions)
2) What is this person currently doing/ How are they having their need met?
Listening to music on a walkman and carrying multiple cassettes with them.
3) What do you want them to do?
Buy an iPod
4) Why should they do what you want them to do instead of what they are doing now?
Because they can carry their whole music collection in their pocket.
Answering these simple can get you to a very simple message, one that works, and in the case of the iPod one that changes the music industry forever.
