Choosing The Right Problem To work on first.pdf

how to choose the right problem to work on first

1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Step 1: Identify your data sources

Step 2: Normalise your data

Step 3: Verify your assumptions

Step 4: add customer needs onto a mindmap (problem landscape)
A comprehensive approach to pick what
problem to focus on first
Win/Loss Statement 1
Support ticket Statement 2
Team feedback Statement 3
Needs Statement x
Verified Needs Statements

2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
Needs Cluster 1
Needs Cluster 2
Needs Cluster 3
Needs Cluster 4
When you do, you’ll notice you can start
reorganising needs into clusters because
they are either similar in nature or
directly related.

These clusters are the signals from the
market

3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
Loudest Customer Voice
Biggest wallet
Unique Use Case
Random Idea
And you’ll start to notice standalone
requests not requested by any other
customer.

This is the noise that distracts from the
signals.

4. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
Random Idea
Needs Cluster 3
With each needs cluster, the goal is to
validate your understanding as much as
possible, like this…

How much you decide to validate will
depend on your own risk appetite

5. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
Random Idea
Needs Cluster 1
Needs Cluster 2
Needs Cluster 4
But as you clarify your understanding of
each needs statement, it could turn out
that the cluster itself disappears.

This is good. It shows that your
understanding of customer problems is
evolving.

In fact, this exercise is what helps build
the elusive “product sense” as you start
to deeply understand the boundaries of a
customer need as it evolves.
New Cluster 5

6. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
New Market
Growth
Expansion
Growth
CSAT
improvement
Competitive
Differentiation
Most importantly, this becomes
an easy template which you use
to discuss strategic decisions
with senior stakeholders as each
needs cluster will offer different
strategic benefits.

7. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
Just know that this landscape will need
to be repeated for each persona so you
don’t confuse who each
opportunity belongs to… New Market
Growth
Expansion
Growth
CSAT
improvement
Competitive
Differentiation

8. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
Because as previously mentioned - this will be confusing
Franken-
Customer
Problems
Jobs
Pain points
Needs
Limitations
Requirements
Problems
Jobs
Pain points
Needs
Limitations
Requirements
Problems
Jobs
Pain points
Needs
Limitations
Requirements
Problems
Pain points
Jobs
Needs
Limitations
Requirements
Problems
Jobs
Pain points
Needs
Limitations
Requirements
Problems
Jobs
Pain points
Needs
Limitations
Requirements
Users Internal
Stakeholders
Buyers Executive
Sponsor
Implementation
Teams
Others

9. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
Identifying patterns in customer demand
Also keep in mind that things are always changing…
●Technology

●Preferences

●Needs

●Competition
Things that change over time:

10. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
What Next?
●Update & translate inputs regularly

●Revise to identify new patterns and clusters regularly
Which means the landscaping never ends and you need to do the following:
●Technology

●Preferences

●Needs

●Competition
Things that change over time:

11. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
What Next?
●Update & translate inputs regularly

●Revise to identify new patterns and clusters regularly

●Build and regularly update the landscape with other
commercial stakeholders
But most importantly, you must also do the additional item below because…
●Technology

●Preferences

●Needs

●Competition
Things that change over time:

12. https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-leo/
B2B is a team sport