I was working with a private coaching client recently, and it made sense for me to outline all the ideation and validation methods I know about for this client.
I’d like to share this list with you. If you want, I can elaborate on it a bit, perhaps via an email series or something like that. Just REPLY and let me know.
The overall theme is this: “Problems are markets” — Gary Bencivenga
In other words, you can remain a pseudo-generalist and simply focus on a market vertical (looking either for a head start or for interest/affinity). What we’re talking about here is a bit more advanced. A bit more ambitious. A bit more “find an expensive problem and become a self-made expert in that problem” kind of thing.
Ideation
- Look for patterns that point to an expensive problem from the vantage point of your current or past client work (find a head start)
- Look for patterns that point to an expensive problem in a specific market vertical
- “Watering hole” ethnographic research
- Customer development research
- Look for an expensive problem that’s more horizontal in nature
- Problem might be driven by broad tech trends (iOT, mobile, etc; reference Gartner Hype Cycle RE: ideal timing, tone of marketing message, risk)
- Problem might be linked to maturity of a particular tech platform (eg. information deficit)
- Problem might be an evergreen business problem (lead gen, inventory mgmt, BI, etc.)
Problem Validation (most lean method)
- “Watering hole” ethnographic research
- Customer development
- In-network (least outreach effort)
- Ask for referrals
- Cold outreach (most outreach effort)
Validation is identifying a pattern in the data gathered through research.
After completing this form of validation, you either move directly to Sales Validation, or if you are more risk-averse you might use Marketing Validation as an intermediate validation method.
Marketing Validation (less lean than pure research, more lean than sales validation)
- Build content asset (email course, niche list, webinar)
- Ad traffic -> content asset
- Teach to borrowed audience (podcast guesting, webinar guest expert), CTA is to opt in to content asset
Validation is measured by opt-ins for content asset
Sales Validation (most “thick” method)
- Define offer
- Coaching (least up-front effort)
- Done-for-you
- Training (most up-front effort)
- Write short email course
- Get/adapt some social proof
- Write & publish a landing page for the service
- Hire an outbound lead gen agency (https://www.leadcookie.com/ or https://www.leadlion.co/ are good), or do the outbound work yourself
Validation is measured by sales and opt-ins for content asset
I hope you find this list helpful.
If you’d like help with this kind of ideation or validation, I’d be happy to help: https://philipmorganconsulting.com/services/-P
