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The joy in ordinary

Today’s world gives so much volume to the extraordinary.

I believe there’s more joy, more love and more happiness in ordinary.

The ordinary kids bedtime, with the mess, the chaos, the books, the fuss.

The ordinary breakfast at home at the weekend.

The ordinary school trip.

So much joy in ordinary.

Just learning to appreciate it, before it changes to something else, or worse it taken away..

Innovation

It’s hard to do something new. New new, or just new to you. Both are hard.

From 2 decades working on new things I recommend

0. Restate the why : Double check the goal or purpose of the innovation. Explain it to 100 people and refine it as you go.

1. Peel the onion : Pick out the highest risk piece and find a way to test / prove / validate it without having to build the entire proposition

2. Find your nucleus of value : Identify the area where your team is building something totally unique. This is where you’re creating value. For all other elements of the offering, consider partnering or utilizing someone else’s service.

3. User test early : Find ways to mock up the proposition and get feedback on story and messaging hierarchy. Discover the sub niche to start with.

4. Distribution double check : Confirm your channel to market is the most effective to achieve your goal. Consider partners, consider companies already selling to your target end customer.

Building momentum quickly

Work in progress

Disallow number 7

A great idea, I just have to share – credit to T. Ferriss

When you’re asking for a score out of 10 .. tell them they can’t pick 7.

It really drives towards clarity. If you were around 7 now you have to think harder to push to a 6 or an 8.

Taking deep research to the shelves of Target

Some innovations start life as research

The greatest breakthroughs are hard. Universities are great at creating environments that foster deep thought and patience to move the needle. A few large companies doing extensive research very productively, for example 3M and Microsoft.

However to take great discoveries from research all the way to a business is a lengthy process.

The journey has several steps

1. Find a use case for the innovation discovered within the research.
2. Identify the target user.
3. Test, iterate and prove that the most impactful way to articulate the value to the user is sufficiently attractive.
4. Consider the optimal channel to get to that user group.
5. Find the north star of the company that drives well aligned future enhancements for those users.

Some pitfalls and solutions

A. Iterate the story –  It’s easy to spend insufficient time on step 3, the articulation of the product. … Just take more time and find people who are good at it to help you.
B. Find the sub-niche –  It’s tempting to think of large target markets and treat user groups too broadly. It makes the market “bigger” after all. However this can lead to a very general and low impact message. Keep asking yourself why the members of the target user group love it and if the answer is “depends” .. then add an additional qualifier to the niche to make it smaller.
C. Focus on the core –  It’s easy to forget to check where Partners could help. Deep research and deep ownership tends to lean towards the feeling you need to do everything. But focussing on the core value a business can bring, and outsourcing or partnering on non value add functions can really help momentum. Keep reminding yourself of your hedgehog – read “Good to Great” or google the hedgehog concept.

How to grow a small co

So, you have an idea .. some people like it a lot, some a little, and you want it to grow? .. here’s how

Step 1: Identify your “I’m blown away” 10/10 NPS tribe

Identify your most delighted user type. Ask yourself why are they delighted? … If the answer is “depends” then you need to be more specific on the user type.

Keep doing that until you have an unequivacable answer to “why are they delighted?

Why? … Because there’s a huge insight in the additional conditional statements you added and .. if you just find more of these people your business will go hyper faster. Read Kevin Kelly’s piece on “1000 super fans” if you haven’t already.

Step 2: Ask them to confirm

Ask them why they are delighted to check you were right AND to hear the words they use .. There are insights in there too ..

Step 3: Go test that story with other people like them

This part is really fun if it works ..

Step 4: Prove you have copy / ads / websites that attract that audience

And watch the company grow ..

Step 5: Expand to next group

Once you’ve done your first tribe, IF you run out of them .. then go find people who are nearly delighted .. and figure out what you need to modify to make them also delirious superfans .. and repeat ..

Immediate impact from this approach

Caution: If an investor or potential partner ever asks you for your NPS don’t give them the average NPS of ALL your users. It includes some users for whom the product is NOT a fit. People make mistakes and buy the wrong stuff and sometimes we market to the wrong people in the wrong way so we set up a fail.

Instead demonstrate your understanding of profitability and growing a business, and give the investor something like ..

“Users like this <insert profile attributes> give us an NPS of 80”
“Users like this <insert profile attributes> give us NPS of 60”

IoT - what's the future look like?

Since 2004 it’s been technology push

It frustrates me that this sector still names itself by the technology “smart home” or “IoT” or “connected devices” .. they all miss the point for the end user … Bluetooth headsets did a great job of marketing that category, perhaps this is why it grew so fast .. “handsfree” .. there it is in 1 word .. It doesn’t even mention bluetooth.

Use case by use case ..

Security is ahead. “secure my home” is written across a box containing lots of electronic devices and sensors. ADT or Vivint are installing thousands of these each month. It’s excellent positioning of a complex system and includes installation.

But brand by brand?

Now to have a basic starter pack “smart home” i might need to buy a product called Nest, one called Alexa or Echo, one called Sonos and one called Wemo. Really? … that seems awfully complicated .. and then I have to wire it together? … Come on people. Make this easier for the shopper!

Consultation and installation assistance

Having a smart home expert tour your house will help identify opportunities for smart home automation or simply control or just sensing. Installation and connecting these services can still feel like a challenging lego set.. so I recommend if you’re nervous, just pay to have hellotech or similar take away the headaches for you.

The future includes

Even more companies building sub niche products that will appeal to targeted audiences like the smart dog bowl or the baby nursery night time light. … These devices will proliferate .. and then there’s the fridges and cookers and all the kitchen stuff .. more on that another day .. Suffice to say soon everything will be connected .. and then what will we call the category? .. the internet of everything?

Wearables and Data - some thoughts

Data doesn’t cut it.

Nearly 3 decades into providing data on physiological responses and still we dont have a killer use case ..

Sub Sub Sub Niches are working well

Companies like Runtastic have demonstrated that there’s a market for sub niche apps for example an app to develop your six pack or a fine backside. There is much more growth available here.

Tracking is dull, advice is engaging

Tracking what happened soon becomes disinteresting – do you really need to know that you did or didnt quite hit your goals.

A new theme is emerging from the mist of features seeking to engage the user … The theme is advice … smart and personalized advice. This is interesting and moreover it’s valuable.

Personalized during onboarding

Customizing around a users personal goals is huge. Some apps are doing this very well during setup to tag. This may be the most impactful area for the next 2-3 years.

The future includes psychographics to drive follow through

Companies like www.patientbond.com are doing a fantastic job at modeling and directing workflow and messaging based on the way people make decisions. This will undoubtedly have the most impact as it’s actually what will change behavior. More to come on this topic.

Achieving success using your insides

I was lucky to be introduced to the book “the secret” a long time ago and I didn’t get it.

That was a gift. It left me wondering what it was all about, forever inquisitive feeling some sense of loss that it didn’t change my life. A bit like being the kid who didn’t get those ‘magic eye’ pictures

It created a vacuum ..

The perpetual state of inquiry and open mindedness was critical. Every time I heard Tim Ferris or other great thinker refer to the book it peaked my attention. It kept me searching. It took to me other great texts .. all helping but none solving

It helped me observe a difference in a semantic … the difference between

“I want to … “ and “I will … “ between
“I believe I will .. and “I must”. …between
“commitment to achieving goals” and “a ruthless immersion in forcing success”

.. The burn the boats level of commitment that Tony Robbins refers to ..

An example from the world of Rowing

I was a rowing coach at the University of Cambridge. Very smart, talented, committed people, familiar with success.

One morning, while taking a break between a double session, while standing outside in freezing cold air talking with the squad, with the smell of freshly fallen rain and wet leaves lingering around us, one of the more introverted, least experienced, smallest coxswains emerged from the squad of giants and beckoned me over to a quiet corner. … “Peter, I need to tell you something .. “ … my mind ran through all the potential things that could justify such an important prelude … I did a quick internal mental check to ensure I prepared my self to react appropriately for some of the extreme possibilities …

And then the most incredible things happened …

Her eyes changed .. Her face changed … Her body language changed, she seemed suddenly tall – it was like she had become inhabited by another spirit … then the words that emerged from her mouth were immediately deep and resonant as if from a 6’6 rower …

“Peter, You NEED to tell me everything I must learn to get the seat in the top boat”. … “I am NOT here for anything else.. ” … “I WILL learn it and I will get the seat” … the words were powerful and the change of state and manifested expression were far more impactful. This young lady was clearly on her way to great things .. Fast forward 2 months she had the top seat in our squad, unsurprisingly for someone with this internalized determination she also found her way into the top seat in every single squad she trained in, including some international crews.

The stated goal came from inside the soul

This inspiring moment remains a favorite as it was so visibly a processed statement. It came from inside the soul. It was deep deep inside. Not from her head. She had no comprehension or recognition that she could fail. Her face, her voice and her physical stance told me that she was going to do it.

This is when I got the book the secret.

Recently I was recommended to read “the obstacle is the way” by Ryan Holiday.

Together these concepts form a well structured approach to achieving your goals while operating in the imperfect world where you can’t control everything. Totally internalizing a success deep inside your soul to prepare for inevitable success.

As you think about your 2020 goals how deeply have your digested your imminent success?

Unearthing 'why' from inside a Technology push

Simon Sinek said it best “people don’t but what you do, they buy why you do it”.

An inspiring and succinct boss said it pretty clearly “I just don’t get WHY people would want that product …”

In many product passion led businesses the real story can get missed. Missed not because passionate product people are trying to ignore it, or that they don’t know there should be a deep seated need for a product, but people who get inspired by products just find it hard – like nearly impossible – to sincerely go back to why … It requires an experienced humility.

In my experience “the why” takes 2 or 3 levels.

Firstly, why was it purchased. This is primarily driven by marketing materials that typically try to highlight the most popular reason people who love the product have purchased it.

Secondly what is the problem it is solving. This is the one that often gets talked of when pushing technical people to go deeper into their research with users to find out how users talk about the product and what it does for them.

Lastly and most importantly, why does the reptilian brain, the unthinking and instinctive mind, feel a need for that solution. This is often completely ignored and this can be ok .. but for products that really feed off this deeper fundamental set of needs, there can be runaway success stories.

I’m excited for a service we’re piloting now that helps founders retell their story and the story of the product or service their building based on their insights and establish a stronger connection with why. This’ll build huge momentum.

Saving Smart Home use cases that have been switched off

.. the reptilian mind of your customer is your actual customer - 2020.01.07

Why are people drawn to buy products, like other people, or make the preference choices they make…? .. the science of attraction is quite well studied and understood …

I believe that people make choices almost entirely with just their reptilian brain. For companies this is very important as it includes how people make decisions about buying products or services. Not the deep cerebral consideration they speak of after the fact. Actual immediate animalistic reactions are at work, and they respond to stimuli at the point of sale and that is the root cause of buy, like or walk away.

This theory holds true for b2b, b2b2c and b2c.

In 1990 I attended a talk hosted by the futurists at British Telecom. One of the guest speakers was a neuro scientist who had spent his whole career studying the anatomy of the brain and how the brain reacts to things. I was startled that our eyes take in information that our brain is considering and filtering and making choices about before we even acknowledge that we’re looking at a new object.

Through the last 2 decades I’ve done demonstrations with ugly prototypes and seen the lack of reaction, and i’ve occasionally shown the glossy slides or the video with great sound and seen the impossible struggle to hide the wowed faces … People react to polished stimuli in very positive ways.

I believe that for products to win, we need to analyze and appreciate:

1. Why a product appeals to the animal inside our target audience.

2. The optimal way to articulate that appeal to the target, particularly for new experiences. In my experience this needs low fidelity testing to know when you’re on the right track and can be counter intuitive.

3. The right way to win within the environment in which the product is sold.

The brilliant, welcoming nature of Austin - 2020.01.06

Austin may be one of the most welcoming cities in the world.

As a British Farmer’s son who was fortunate to attend a great school and university in the British Countryside I was shocked by my experiences living in London and by Los Angeles. Both were great and I loved living in each for different reasons but they are places where I felt I was being judged somewhat by those around me. People in the underground in London, those on the beach in LA ..

When I moved to Austin to be nearer my wife’s family and to be part of the creative blossoming space for early stage businesses I was very excited. It had been a goal of mine for sometime to have a backyard and this was tough in LA.

What I didn’t expect and what I am still blown away by is the lack of judgement, and even more so the amazing kinship and welcoming nature of the community in Austin. It’s like Austin is a family. It’s a growing, humble and friendly town where everyone wants to see everyone else succeed. It’s truly energizing and inspiring. It flips on it’s head the idea that growth is at the expense of others. It was completely mindblowing to me that, while trying to take a mini sabbatical and some paternity leave that I found myself in a series of parallel introductory snowballs …

Austin – the most welcoming place I’ve been ..

Pyramids : Part Two - 2020.01.05

So here’s the recipe … Engineering style

Step 1: Identify your target audience – identify a tight niche who would give high star ratings. Not anyone who could use it in the fullness of time. A service needs huge Net Promoter Score to win on low marketing dollars so stick to the niche who loves your product the most as you get started. See books like 1000 true fans by Kevin Kelly.

Step 2: Identify what single thing matters to them MOST about your product ..

Step 3: Ensure the name directly links to that thing, or can be explained to link to that thing in a memorable way. For new product categories, with low marketing budgets (i.e. most startups) I recommend descriptive names. E.g. Dropcam for a highly portable wireless camera –the device was droplet shape and could be dropped anywhere easily. If you have a huge marketing budget you can consider lofty names like Apple or Uber.

Step 4: In the single sentence explain what the product brings to the user. This can be hard to nail for the target audience. I recommend three steps to identify this

Step 4a: Research reactions from early users, why do they love the product, what does it do for them .. – read Jobs to be done framework by Clayton Christensen

Step 4b: Identify your competitive strength vs. offerings that can be hired to do the same job.

Step 4c: Document it in punchy, succinct and powerful words.

Step 5. In the 3 bullets you can substantiate the typical questions that arise from your early pitches or that your users have .. more of the way and some of the how.

Simple.

As an example: for a heart health app one team had developed which was aimed at motivated-to-get-healthier 30-60 year olds, we discovered the concept of feeling energized was relatable and appealing. We identified the name Heartwell identified the outcome and those who should be interested. Our target was broad in age, but tight in terms of use case – currently unhealthy and motivated to act now.

Pyramids : Part One - 2020.01.03

This is written for Engineers, Product Managers and those seeking a practical approach to Marketing. I’ll give you all a simple tool and steps to create outstanding positioning. I’ve seen the tool applied to describe businesses and propositions – from huge projects with agencies like Crispin Porter, Ogilvy and IDEO, to small startups of a few people.

Here’s the bumpersticker : Pyramids

Here’s the short description : Every proposition needs a very short, a short, and a medium length descriptor that encapsulates the critical value for the target audience. Long description mostly don’t get read and can wait. J

Here’s the medium description :

Every proposition needs a one word summary – typically the product or company name.
It also needs a 1 sentence statement of why it matters to the audience, and what it is.
It also needs 3 bullets or a short paragraph that expands on the reason to believe the sentence.

In the perfect world every proposition also needs

An image or picture that immediately communicates the value. Glanceable is fast and works in today’s world. This can be used to supplement the 1 word summary.
A short video – 30 seconds or less than communicates the value. People don’t read but they sometimes watch video. This can utilize all of the above.

That’s it. Nothing more complex.

These 3 tools can be used in any and all forums where you’re describing your offering.