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The Overview #48

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.

Say something

How are you going to attract the right customers, drive a higher price point, or beat competitors if you’re saying the same thing as everyone else?

Everything you present to the market should show why people should pay attention and listen to what you’ve got to say. Your positioning, brand tone of voice, brand identity, product UI and concepts, your go-to-market sales/marketing, customer support… and so much more.

Having a perspective based on unconventional wisdom or even your own custom methodology helps you achieve your goals.

You just need the confidence to jump in.

“We don’t want to bother customers”

Ugh, this brings back painful memories from the worst job I’ve ever had. Inexperienced founders who struggled to ‘give away their legos’ prevent literally everyone from accessing customers.

“Why would we ask customers this? We already know what they want.”

Every product marketer experiences this, so learn to deal with it:

  • Show the gaps in knowledge
  • Position conversations to ‘validate assumptions’, rather than pure discovery
  • Listen into sales and success calls, and start gently by asking questions there – helping build confidence in your ability to hold customer conversations

Any other tips? Let me know and I’ll add.

Reminder: Battle-tested positioning and messaging framework

YOU DON’T KNOW HOW HAPPY THIS TWEET MADE ME!

Dave Kellog is an EIR at Balderton Capital and consults on go-to-market, so a tweet of approval like this made my day.

My Customer Value Positioning framework is probably the most straightforward positioning canvas out there. It focuses on who your customers are, what they care about, and then helps you translate that into messaging you’ll put on your website.

It’s available for free until I make it a paid download in the coming weeks!

Swipe File: Finding the right value altitude

???? When you become a free Building Momentum subscriber, you get access to my exclusive product marketing swipe file! Click here to find out more.

I reference this concept from Andy Raskin a lot.

When you’re defining the overall, combined value that your product enables customers to achieve… what should you promise?

If we’re using Cinderella as an analogy, should you:

  • Focus on tangible benefits, like actually getting to ball via a chariot?
  • Communicate how your product unlocks a new world for customers – like the life that exists when you marry royalty?
  • Build a narrative on a future where all problems are solved, where customers can live happily ever after?

Tip: it’s the middle one. Positioning the ‘promised land’ that customers unlock when they use your product is more realistic than a fairytale future, and more valuable than just getting to the ball.

What level do you communicate at?

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought – find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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