people don't care that much
There’s this worry that one missed opportunity or one failed attempt can mean doom for a product or a business.
I read this a while ago. I wrote it down, but didn’t note who said it or where it came from.
A half-baked B2B product shown to a few “early adopter realtors” runs the risk of 1.) Losing that potential customer forever as it would be much more difficult to get in the door again, or 2.) Irreversible reputational loss … if the customer landscape is a tight and chatty one.
For a long time, I believed this idea that it’s possible to burn through a market. I still think it is possible if you sell snake oil or are just a dickhead. But if you’re genuinely trying to build something people need and want, there are two things that can get you out of trouble:
There is no reason to think local only. We’re on the internet. The total addressable market is much bigger. And despite there being lots and lots of smaller ponds on the internet, it’s possible to grow beyond almost any market.
People just don’t care that much. It’s like worrying about a coffee stain on a shirt while walking through midtown Manhattan during the Monday morning rush. Everybody is busy thinking about their own stain, their own business, their own schedule, to notice your coffee stain. Whatever is a big freaking deal in your head and mine, means almost nothing to the rest of the people.
All this is to say that memories are short. Customers are rarely “lost forever” and your reputation can always be recovered. Especially if you' operate from a place of helpfulness and caring.
Your product or service may not be what someone wants today, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a fit tomorrow.
Putting this into practice:
We spent all of 2024 calling our app a Product Analytics tool. After lots of sales calls and demos that left everyone feeling a bit flat, we realised we were talking up our product the wrong way.
So we repositioned to become a Customer Health Platform. We’re talking to the same people and now they’re listening. Nobody has said “You had your shot. You missed. Game over.”
The reception has been a mix of apathy (some people still don’t care, ha), interest, and curiosity.
Don’t be afraid to keep building and testing and selling. Nobody is paying that much attention and second chances are available to all of us.
Peter
(431 / 500)