Little Changes That'll Make a Big Difference With Your Startups

You have a billion-dollar idea. One that could make the world a better place. One that could change minds and write history. Bravo! But you're not the only one. And we don't mean that sarcastically. The fact that you have competition means that your idea has already been considered good by other people. It also means you have to fight against your competitors for the attention of those who could be interested in your product or service. 

1. Perspective

We already gave you a glimpse of this in the intro. The first little thing that can make a big difference with your startup is perspective. You don't need a deathmatch with competitors, you need a "it's a match" with the needs/desires in the market. And that means it's not enough to engineer your product, but you need to engineer your audience perception.

2. Strategic Engineering

Continue with some Strategic Engineering. Know where you stand. A product value proposition (PVP) might seem a little thing, but often it's the difference between 5 stars and disaster. Be sure it is rooted in a powerful insight about your consumer and it is expressed in a memorable way, otherwise, you can buy it from a thrift PVP store. It's the same thing.

3. Branding Engineering

Don't forget about Branding Engineering which is more than your visual identity. And your visual identity is not just a logo. And a logo is more than a little symbol. It's an entire story of the company, reduced to its most essential and simple form. Same as the name of your company. They are your first elevator pitch to the world. If your name/logo doesn't sound/look at least awesome, there is no point bothering with big changes.

4. Speak the human language

You've created a great product and you wonder why people don't knock on your door and ask you about it? Why isn't it already on the digital shelves? Why are sales moving in slow-motion? Probably because people don't understand what it's all about. Your audience isn't interested in reading the product's instruction manual or remembering all its features. They want to find out in a sentence that even a 10-year-old can understand what the benefit is. Does it give them more free time? Does it reduce their bills? Does it fill their fridge? Does it bring them one step closer to early retirement? Whether people are on your website, your social media channels, or at a conference where you're telling them about your startup, no one wants to read novels, but small, intelligible pieces of information told with emotion or in an entertaining way. 

5. Hire specialists 

And the last next little thing you can do: At first glance, it may not seem like it, but in the long run you will make a big difference with your startup if you hire specialists to engineer the things you cannot engineer. 9 out of 10 startups fail because people behind them are too stubborn to admit they need other specialists than them to make their startup grow. Don't be one of those.

TL;DR

1. Make love to your audience, not war against your competitors.

2. Build your PVP on a strong insight, not on a word twist or a joke.

3. Don't buy your name and logo on a Black Friday deal.

4. Whatever you sell, you sell it to humans, therefore don't speak like a robot.

5. Nobody knows everything. Call in the cavalry to avoid the Calvary. 

(We know it's a lame joke. We use to make them on LinkedIn so we avoid making them while working for our clients) Send us that Mail :)

By Marius Pop