Wynter

Time for a change.

🎙️ Ever wondered what happens when you bring four research nerds together on a podcast and let 'em rip? Spoiler alert: We talk about "Stupid Tax" 😄 I had the pleasure of being a guest on The Proof Point by UserEvidence hosted by Mark Huber, where we dived into some fascinating concepts that you might not be familiar with. Ever heard of the terms “stupid tax” or “desk research”? Neither had I, until now! 💸 Stupid Tax According to Peep Laja from Wynter, stupid tax is the cost people pay for making uninformed, research-less decisions. It’s a concept from the book “The Road Less Stupid" by Keith Cunningham. The ultimate goal? Be less wrong than your competitors. 📚 Desk Research Victoria Sakal 🏴 from Wonder (AskWonder.com) 🤔 breaks down the three types of research: 1️⃣ Internal Data: Gong calls, website analytics, Slack messages. 2️⃣ Primary Research: Customer research, win-loss analysis. 3️⃣ Desk Research (Secondary): Publicly available information, including studies done by others. It may not be as perfectly aligned as primary research, but it’s still incredibly valuable. But that’s not all! Peep, Victoria, Mark, and I tackled a bunch of other hot 🔥 topics, including: 🔍 Point of Saturation: Do you really need 1,000 survey responses? 📈 Actioning Data: Do you need a committee and process, or just a super sharp and strategic researcher? 🎥 Respondent Preferences: Between video, audio, live interviews, and text, what do research respondents prefer? The answer shocked ⚡ me! ❓ The “What,” “So What,” and “Now What”: How to make sense of your research efforts. 👑 Why Peep is Pro Dictatorship: You’ll have to listen to find out! 📊 Big R vs. Little r Research: Understanding the difference and why it matters. This was a meaty episode for sure! Tune in to The Proof Point by UserEvidence for a deep dive into these topics and much more. [Link to Podcast Episode in comments below 👇] #Research #Podcast #Marketing #DataDriven #StupidTax #DeskResearch #CustomerInsights #ProductMarketing #WinLoss #CompetitiveIntelligence

Effective positioning is crucial in the B2B SaaS space. When your product’s purpose and benefits are unclear, it can confuse potential customers and drive them away. For instance, a team communication tool must distinguish whether it competes with Slack, Notion, or Asana to avoid being vague. The key to strong positioning is clear, focused messaging that defines your product’s unique value and target audience.

It’s easy to think that what worked last year will still work today. But the reality is, the world is constantly changing. New startups emerge, competitors improve, and consumer preferences shift. Strategies and messages that once resonated can quickly become outdated. Yet, many companies still use the same strategies, value propositions, and messaging from years ago. Just like people need an annual physical to catch any issues early, businesses need a regular checkup for their messaging. What once captured attention may now go unnoticed, or worse, blend in with the crowd because everyone else has copied it. Regularly revisiting and refining your messaging ensures it matches current customer priorities and challenges. It helps you stay relevant and engaging. Don’t leave it to guesswork. Find out and stay ahead.

Haruki Murakami said, “If you only read what everyone else is reading, you will likely think what everyone else is thinking.” This fits perfectly with market strategies. When competition rises, the safe choice is often to copy others, but this can make you blend in, not stand out.

A key concept for continuous growth: How can we increase our customer value footprint? Becoming more valuable means solving more significant, higher-value problems for your customers. By becoming mission-critical, you embed yourself deeply in their business. Just like in the physical world, where raw materials are cheaper and less valuable than finished products, offering comprehensive solutions elevates your value. Writing articles is good, but providing both content strategy and article writing boosts your value footprint significantly. Commodity services like basic optimization are fungible. High-value consulting that includes experimentation program management offers a much higher value footprint. By adding more value, you improve your revenue, margins, and customer retention. Moving from simply supplying a product to managing an entire supply chain showcases higher value. What additional problems you can solve for your customers? Aim to address issues that are one or two levels above what you currently solve. Here’s how to start: 1. **Dive deep into customer pains:** Invest time in discovering the pains and problems your customers face in areas you don’t already assist with. 1. **Identify high-priority issues:** Focus on high-priority problems where customer satisfaction is currently low. 1. **Experiment with new offers:** Consistently test new offers to see what resonates best before fully rolling them out. Increase your value footprint, build stronger relationships, and transition from fungible to essential.

Effective messaging is critical for driving action. Here are four key components to focus on: ➡️ Clarity: Ensure your audience fully understands your message. Identify any lingering questions they might have. Remember, confusion hinders decision-making. ➡️ Relevance: Align your message with the audience’s current priorities and challenges. If it’s not pertinent to their immediate needs, it won’t resonate. ➡️ Value: Clearly demonstrate the value of your offering. Show how it meets their needs and motivates them to act, rather than relying on intrinsic motivation. ➡️ Differentiation: Highlight why your solution is the best choice. Make it clear how you stand out from competitors without dismissing their existence. By refining each of these elements, you can create messaging that truly connects and compels your audience to take action. Continuous testing and feedback are essential to perfecting this process.

Your brand’s distinctiveness is what captures attention, creates recognition, and fosters memorability among buyers. Rather than focusing solely on a unique selling proposition, prioritize creating unique, identifiable characteristics. These assets simplify the buying process for your customers, allowing them to recall and identify your brand quickly.

When people truly desire something, they’ll overcome significant obstacles to get it. Focusing on your offers and value proposition can deliver far greater results than merely reducing friction. Elevate user motivation as your primary goal. Consider this: if a Tesla Model X was priced at $20k but required filling out 100 form fields, most people would still proceed due to the high perceived value. A compelling offer on your homepage, landing page, or in outbound emails can significantly improve results. Here’s how to create an effective offer: 1️⃣ Understand your audience’s pain points, desires, challenges, and priorities. Design your offer to meet their needs and address their pain. 2️⃣ Write persuasive copy – there’s plenty of guidance available on this. 3️⃣ Test your offers before launch. You can’t predict success in advance, but you can eliminate poor options early and gather data on promising ones through preference testing. Present multiple offers to a small group of your target audience and ask: - Which is most compelling? - Which is most clear? - Which provides the most value? Instead of asking if they would buy or sign up, focus on whether the offer is compelling. Testing your messaging before it goes live ensures your offers resonate with your audience and drive the desired results.

Your website isn’t just an information hub—its purpose is to captivate and convert. Nailing your messaging is a process that requires iteration. But what happens when your team isn’t aligned on your ICP or messaging? This misalignment often stems from a lack of unified data and insights. If your team knew customers were confused or didn’t value the message, they’d prioritize improving it. Yet, reaching out for feedback can be daunting and costly. Speeding up your market feedback loops can give you a significant edge. Imagine getting critical insights about your target audience within 24 hours. That’s the power of advanced market research platforms.