In the early days of a B2B startup (this doesn’t so much apply in B2C situations, where there is zero customization per user), a startup’s pitch goes like this: Here’s what our product does, here are the features, here is the functionality, here are its benefits, and here’s why you should buy it. That is, the company’s job is to figure out how the product solves the customer’s problem. As a market matures, and as a startup matures, it shifts toward selling solutions. This means solving the problem for the customer. The product is now part of a toolkit; the thing being sold is now a solution to
...more
