SaaS Synergy: The Problem vs. Solution Dynamics
Play the change perspective game, peel tunnel vision one layer at a time.
This week’s post is on the well-covered topic of problem vs. solution. There are numerous articles already written about the issue, will try to add a new spin though.
“vs.” from each department’s perspective
Depending on who you talk to in a Saas business, you usually hear a different perspective on the “feature vs. value” topic:
For Sales, usually, the topic is “Stop talking about features and talk about the value the customer gets”
For Marketing, the topic goes “Stop promoting features, start covering flows that offer value to people using the platform”
For Customer Success, the discussion is “Stop talking about your features and try to think of ways to ease the customer’s need”
For Product, the topic goes as “Stop thinking about the solution but talk about the problem people using your service are facing”
All these perspectives touch on the same thing; the same issue. On one side we have people looking for a way to do something, on the other side we have people offering tools to solve stuff.
“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” - Theodore Levitt
(One more) perspective change
The issue described above requires the two elements visible in the image:
People looking for a way to do something
People offering the tools to do that something
These two live together; interact. One side needs the other to move forward.
Usually, this interaction happens way too late and way too close to the “problem” looking for a solution; a tool to manage it. Either those looking for a solution focus on the problem at hand, or those offering the tools are too eager to support the problem looking for a quick solution. In both cases, each side has a tunnel vision with urgency pressing for a solution.
The result of the above is that the final combo - of problem and solution - is narrowly defined by both sides. More often than not, someone needs to take a step away and look at the bigger picture. That step back is the perspective change needed. That step back is where true innovation is happening.
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” - Henry Ford
That was the case with the first iPhone, and that was the case with Netflix's switch to online vs. sustaining a DVD business.
Revisiting the quote by Theodore Levitt on the quarter-inch hole, people don’t even want a quarter-inch hole; they need to hang something on a wall or craft something bigger using that hole.
Closure: Be that person taking that step back
Introducing that step back means that you have a wider perspective on the problem at hand. It’s like unlocking an extra dimension to help you identify a better solution to your problem.
Regardless of the department you work in, that step back can completely reshape your approach to the problems at hand and your communications with people using the tools you offer. Some examples from personal experience:
Have you considered a possible workaround using other tools; or a third party?
Can you simulate that tool with some manual work on your side? Does it turn important/repeated enough to hinder your time? Consider offering your manual work as the implementation approach.
Have you asked the other side what they want to achieve when such a tool is ready?
Have you shared the problem at hand with more colleagues outside your department? There’s a change a different mind will have something new to contribute.
Taking a step back could even create value where you used to see simply a rock!
A personal story (non-Saas related)
Some years back, my family and I wanted to tend a public garden outside my summer home in Crete. Near the cacti planted we added some rocks to block wild grass growing. Taking a step back, we enhanced the garden by adding simple sketches on those rocks.
The last time we revisited our summer house, we enhanced these drawings by adding color. This time, taking another step back, I found value in creating some memorable rocks for the Team O’clock project I’m working on. These rocks represent something bigger for me now 🙂.