I presented this at #wintercamp this year - for companies looking to tell a more compelling story around their products. Main topics include developing and understanding the target customer, creating a bigger story around product features, leveraging the right PR strategy and building a narrative.

1. From Feature to Story
I’d like you to meet my friend “WHY”
Wednesday, June 12, 13

2. A few assumptions before we get started
• Small Budget
• Great Product
• Early Market Fit
• Focus on Acceleration vs Brand
Wednesday, June 12, 13

3. Reason #1 - Explaining what you do becomes a lot
easier with a story
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4. Reason #2: Customers rarely buy products based on a
feature comparison
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5. “[Martin Luther King Jr.]
made the ‘I have a DREAM’
speech, not the ‘I have a
plan’ speech.”
— @simonsinek
Reason #3: Having purpose for what you do makes it
easier to inspire others
Wednesday, June 12, 13

6. Reason #4:Validation Matters
LOGO
SLAP
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7. “My wife thinks you should...”
--or why you need to write it down
Reason #5: A well thought out position helps you avoid
mentor whiplash
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8. Developing the Narrative
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9. Most people when asked about their product start by
describing the features.
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10. ... but if I don’t know why I should care about it, why
would I want to hear about the features.
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11. WHY?
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12. Think about who your customer is... tell the story that
matters to them
Mom?
Bartender? The CTO?
King Maker?
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13. Get focused on the right customer - you can’t serve
them all in the beginning
• What do they want?
• Why do they need your product?
• What do they care about?
• How do they make decisions?
• Where can they be found?
Wednesday, June 12, 13

14. Competitive Landscape is not just about features
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15. FindYOUR White Space
Unique Thing We Do
Other Unique Thing
We Do
Our Company
Our Competitive
Set
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16. Example: BarNotes
Social Curation of
the Best Cocktails
Expert Created
Craft Cocktails
Cocktail Directories
Database of Recipes
Spirit Brand Site
Epicurious
Liquor.com
Mixologist Bloggers
Wednesday, June 12, 13

17. ElevatingYour Story
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18. Make new features or product launches matter
We’re Launching the
Appearance Panel!!!
vs
Introducing the Ning Design
Studio
• Design Community
• Advanced CSS
• Respected Partners
• Theme Contest
• Creative Services
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19. You need to own who the target and what story you
want
July 2012
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20. Building a more compelling storyline makes it easier to
sell it
July 2012 November 2012
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21. ... and pays dividends in the long run
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22. Building out the story makes it harder to get caught in
the ego trap
Funding
Recruiting
BusinessValidation Customer Acquisition
VC’s
Industry
VC’s
Industry
Potential Customers
Customer Segment
Industry
Street Cred at
CapdeVille
We’ve made it as a real
business
Our target customer is
excited about us
Wednesday, June 12, 13

23. Learning to Tell the Story
Make a Grid
Ask Customers
Pitch
Recruit
Seek Mockery
Wednesday, June 12, 13