Product 201 – Feature Deep Dives
Andy says he’s feeling a little manic and running on a lot of caffeine. Craig says that things are looking better from where he is. Trials are up in the last few months, and sales are up as well. This is due to some changes that are starting to pay off. Craig and Andy discuss how founders may hang onto things longer than investors, even if they’re not working as quickly.
Andy describes the “black box” nature of what he does and how even though their messaging has resonated, the black box nature leaves people feeling somewhat skeptical of their features. Craig and Andy discuss the difficulty of finding new features when you already have an established process and how Andy does it. Andy explains that the approach is to find out what the people care most about, do it better than the competition, and that’s how you can get them in; once they’re in, you can educate them about your point of view.
Craig and Andy talk about the discipline it takes to go deeper when that’s needed and when it’s better not to go deep. Andy says that you need a deep understanding of the space in order to come up with innovations, but there are just some steps that aren’t a good way to use time and effort. Craig says that it can be difficult to communicate things to the customers in just the right way and meet them where they are. Andy believes that he’s made a breakthrough in a different area than where there was a lot of focus earlier in the season. He reiterates that you have to go deep to find those insights but that you have to pick the things you’re going to focus on.