a single source, nothing corroborates it

Stop planning to change what buyers want

Behaviour shifts over years through culture and circumstance, not because a small company argued well, so a product that needs heavy persuasion is one to drop before it is built. Read what a prospect already pays for as a statement of their priorities and sell to that.

The method

1. 01

   Never build on a plan to change what customers prioritise - they know their own business, and shifting priorities costs more time and money than it returns.

2. 02

   Give up on converting people to your point of view as a growth plan; behaviour shifts only after repeated exposure from culture, peers and circumstance over years.

3. 03

   Set up where the appetite already exists instead of trying to generate it; you will rarely talk someone into wanting something they weren't already looking for.

4. 04

   Infer what a prospect values from the categories of software they already pay for, and pitch to that stated priority.

5. 05

   Read a product's need for heavy persuasion, drip sequences and manipulation as a reason not to build it in the first place.

What it returned

• 2003

  The author's own move from Napster and LimeWire to paying for music took a Steve Jobs keynote in 2003, getting to know struggling artists, getting a job, and the birth of his daughter.

• Jason Cohen's metaphor: vanilla ice cream sells on a hot beach even with a rival stand at the other end, and barely sells there in winter no matter how much you advertise.

• Justin's example: someone paying for newsletter, podcast, blog, social and ad management tools is telling you they value marketing.

• Ryan King of CZI Science notes the overlap in Google's search algorithms, and Airbnb as a case where the valuable problem was not technically hard.

Sources

• Selling stuff on a busy beachJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Selling stuff on a busy beach · undated
• You can't change the customer's behaviorJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · You can't change the customer's behavior · undated
• Not all products make good businessesJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Not all products make good businesses · undated
• Do you need marketing tracking and automation?Justin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Do you need marketing tracking and automation? · undated
• We are not normal peopleJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · We are not normal people · undated