You’re in the Jar

You’re in the Jar.

You are. I guarantee it. We all are. Myself included. I struggle with positioning Forge, W Venture and even myself. Recently, I completed board training (more on that later), and we had to deliver our “personal value prop” a dozen times per day to various speakers and colleagues. I still didn’t nail it - and I do this for a living. It’s hard. 

 Why is it so difficult to clearly articulate “why you”?

Well, largely, because you are in your own jar and you can’t see your own label. Truly. It's a universal problem, but especially for startups. I’m sure you’ve heard a great pitch and thought, Wow, that’s clear. Why can’t I do that for my own company?  Because you can’t climb out of your jar and see the label.  You are too close to the thing you are building. You have bias, assumptions, rose-coloured glasses. You are inside the jar. 

Nailing positioning is critical. It's often the game-changer you need to scale, raise funds, close that deal. But instead, you think it's about more features, pricing, or a better deck. Maybe it is. But when you get your positioning right, it fits like the last piece of the puzzle. 

So how do I get outside my jar, you ask?  Well, you don’t.  You accept that you can never really see what your label says. You need to ask. 

Ask systematically, with thought and rigour. Sure, it's ok to have casual conversations for feedback, but for deep insights that will move the dial, you need to take a step back to take a bigger step forward.  Surveys won't cut it. You need actual conversations - those messy, uncomfortable kinds where you shut up and listen. Where their comment drops like a penny from the sky, and you nod your head, “aha”.  I know, it's hard to talk to customers. But you must. There is no other way. 

And yet…Most of you will read this and do... nothing. You'll overthink which customer to call. Wait for the 'perfect' time. You know, when things calm down. (They won't.) Because what if they love you for the 'wrong' reasons?  What if your revolutionary feature is just table stakes, and the throwaway thing you barely mention is why they actually stay? Or worst of all - What if they don't love you at all and they're shopping around?  Ouch. That would sting.  

But here's the thing: they haven't left yet. You can fix it. You just need to know what you're fixing in order to grow.

So here's your homework, and it's simple: This week, ask ONE customer ONE question: "What made you choose us?"

Don't explain. Don't defend. Don't fill the awkward silence. Just listen. And that penny that drops?  That's your label. ‘

DM me what you learn. I'm collecting pennies 🙂

-Shelley Voyer is Managing Partner of W Venture, a women’s tech accelerator based in BC. She also runs Forge Experience Design, a product and service design consulting firm