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So What?
A Practical Guide to Creating Compelling Consumer Propositions
by Jon Hall
3.11
That’s the first question I ask when potential clients come to us with a new product or service idea. Typically, I’ll ask it more delicately, but my point is, can you clearly articulate what’s in it for the customer? Very often, entrepreneurs or inventors talk about the technology behind an idea, or all the attributes and features it has. The challenge is reframing that—think about it from the end user’s point of view, and go beyond saying what your product or device does, but what it does for me. What are the unique benefits your idea can offer potential users, and is that something you can uniquely own?
That emphasis becomes the backbone for the research plan any hopeful entrepreneur needs to take: define your user proposition, and then be sure it’s clear and compelling to your likely users.
The first part of researching a new idea, is really self directed. Do your homework. And ask yourself some key questions, essentially following the classic reporter’s guide of Who, What, Where, Why and How.
Who are going to be your most likely prospects for your new idea. Who are your likely competitors?
What is it that you can uniquely offer these prospects?
Where are you going to compete—thinking both in terms of where you want your product/service to be offered, what the dynamics of the market are, including how difficult is the price of entry
Why should customers choose you in preference to other options they may have?
How are you going to make your target aware of your offering, and convince them to try it? How will your idea change the products or services they are currently using—how will it fit into their life? How will your competitors respond—how will they try to defend against you; is your idea something they could easily replicate?
Internet searches and "granny" research among friends and family, are good first steps to answering some of these questions, and ensuring you have a solid proposition before undertaking further research.
If you feel your idea does stack up well after your initial assessment, there is real value in hearing from potential end users themselves. There are a number of forms this can take, but we encourage clients to first think about depth, and then breadth, in designing a learning program. That is, have more substantive interaction on a qualitative basis, where you can probe and really interact with your target, to hone and refine your idea.
Depending on the idea, it could be very helpful to conduct your research in context. That means going where your target will likely be using your product or service. Observe how they interact with a product or service—can you identify any compensatory behavior that customers may not even be aware of, or determine the success cues that your idea can deliver? Then share your idea with them, and see how it would meet their needs.
Focus groups are also another excellent, cost effective way to get valuable insight into the potential of your idea. We do a great deal of concept research, where the product or service is distilled into a concise write up that clearly conveys the proposition to the consumer. This is a great way to get feedback before investing significant money in prototype development. One important thing to remember: Having a good idea is only half the battle. Effectively communicating your idea is just as critical. A skilled moderator can get your potential customers to objectively assess your idea, and work collaboratively to help you identify ways to make your idea even more compelling. Another research approach we are using more and more with clients is to establish a "thinking partnership" with their customers. We do this via our Sounding Boards service, where we recruit a set of consumers for a particular project, and have them work with us over a period of months—helping to build and refine ideas for new products and services. By letting your customers be a pivotal part of your development program, you not only get great insights, but you’re already starting to create "evangelists" for your new idea.
Once you’ve gotten the qualitative learnings you need to optimize your idea, and ensure you are able to articulate it in a clear and compelling manner, it’s always smart to get a larger scale validation of the idea. Online concept testing is a very cost effective way to get a broad base of respondents. Depending on your idea, you can conduct the research among a representative population sample, or target to a very specific profile.
The key when you’re looking to launch a new business or product is to always keep the likely end user in mind, and see things from their perspective. Effectively answering their question, "What’s in it for me?" will tell you, what’s in it for you!
