The Overview #10
Hey there. This is The Overview, a weekly roundup of noteworthy B2B SaaS stuff. You’ll find interesting thoughts, articles, and more from around the internet.
In this post:
Strategy over tactics, please
I always try to follow the Good Strategy, Bad Strategy ‘strategy nugget’ when developing approaches to… anything.
This is comprised of:
A clear diagnosis of your current situation and context
Principles that will guide you through the next phase of execution and learning
Aligned tactics that detail ways in which the principles will be applied to the situation to move forward
Highly recommend reading the book.
Not really helping?
We saw plenty of memes like this go out over the last week thanks to a burning oil pipeline in the sea off of Mexico, and this one made me laugh.
Just like above, there are many tactics that anyone can apply to a situation. But without an aligned strategy, you’re not actually helping – just being busy and doing the theatre of work.
In the example above, products that don’t solve real needs and provide real value can’t be turned around by focusing on brand, paid ads, or adding more features.
Messaging should align value with creative copy
I bought an ice machine on Amazon and this is on the product page. The little ice maker that could! How cute!
Although creative, it doesn’t speak to the core value that the product can deliver. The supporting text does more to sell the value than the heading does.
In my value nugget framework, we use ‘Why/How’ questioning to ladder from value to benefits to features, and we can apply this in copy as well.
If the value is really about making ice when not near a refrigerator, then the heading should speak to that: “Fresh ice, wherever you are” or something similar.
Sushi: SaaShimi?
Forgive me: re-sharing my post from earlier this week because I missed the trick on a more creative title.
In this article, Nir Eyal talks about how Japanese restaurants introduced sushi to the American public in the 1970’s. In a market where fish was cooked, not raw, and seaweed was strictly something found on a beach and not eaten, how could they convince consumers to try something completely foreign to them?
The answer? The California Roll. Rice, avocado, cucumber, sesame seeds, and crab meat – with a small sliver of nori seaweed holding it together.
In a perfect example of new product innovation, sushi restaurateurs combined an existing product concept with the taste preferences of a new market – reducing barriers to entry and serving as an entry point into the world of sushi.
But early-stage first-time founders usually don’t want to create and sell a California roll – it’s not as exciting.
Instead, they create their own version of fugu: confusing, weird, off-putting, even dangerous.
Read the post: B2B SaaS and the California Roll
That’s the Overview for this week
Hope you found some interest in this edition – number 10!
Help shape Building Momentum: Shall I continue this format, or switch it up? Let me know on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Thanks for reading, and here’s to momentum.
James