I want to see a dead seagull on every slide

Years ago I read Seth Godin’s Really Bad Powerpoint, which is short but powerfully helpful.  One suggestion that particularly stood out for me:



Talking about pollution in Houston? Instead of giving me four bullet points of EPA data, why not show them this instead:


Read me the stats but show me a photo of a bunch of dead birds, some smog and even a diseased lung? This is cheating! It’s unfair! It works.

To help my students remember this powerful lesson I tell them “I want to see a ‘dead seagull’ on every slide.”  They don’t forget.  They reduce number of words, replace with images that powerfully communicate the emotion behind their speech…

Read the whole thing: Seth Godin’s Really Bad Powerpoint.

Donuts vs Fruit: asking for actions, not intentions, during customer development

Donuts    vs    fruit plate

A woman from a pastry startup walks into an office full of potential customers to conduct customer development interviews.  She asks everyone “You told me you often need snacks in the middle of the day.  What would be better, if I brought a plate of donuts or a plate of fruit?” Most people tell her they would prefer fruit because it is healthier.  On her way out she leaves a plate of each behind as a thank-you gift.  She comes back the next day and discovers there are no donuts left, but lots of rotting fruit! What did she learn?

A novice would think they learned that customers lie so there is no point in asking them.  A pro realizes the importance of how you ask the question.  It is very hard for people to know what they might/would do with any accuracy.  If instead you ask what people have done, or give them a situation to make a real choice, then you get much more usable information.

Note that you have two ways to apply this great lesson:

  1. Before you have a prototype you can ask people what they have done in similar situations in the past.
  2. Once you have a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), give people a choice between your option and the alternative.

Take away:

When conducting customer development interviews ask what people have done, not what they would/might do.

Hat Tip to the man who taught me this concept and the entertaining way to remember it: the great Eddie Binder.

Only a Few Seats Left For Lean Launchpad Demo Day!

There are only a few tickets left for next week’s Lean Launchpad: Pioneer Valley Graduation Celebration & Demo Day.  Because of space (and wine :)) seats are limited and only those who RSVP can attend.  So if you’d like to join us, RSVP here.

Who is attending: primarily angel investors, mentors, and entrepreneurs who want to see first-hand the results of Lean Launchpad training.  Get more details here.

Metrics That Matter

What are the Metrics That Matter for your venture? No… not the vanity metrics that so many of us were taught to pay attention to.  What are the metrics that actually show you if your venture is on the right track?

I watch my students struggle with this a great deal.  I’d like to offer some patterns that can serve as a starting point to anyone considering these questions.

  1. Cost to acquire/get a customer helps you evaluate different channels for their relative value, shows you when your website is doing a terrible job of converting visitors into contacts, steers you towards labor-efficient/scalable techniques, etc.

    1. Sales & marketing costs: out-of-pocket + labor (assume a market-rate labor cost so you do not underestimate labor-intensive marketing channels)
    2. # hits to your website, # of cold calls
    3. % that convert to contact you, % that meet with you
    4. % that purchase
  2. Cost to keep/retain a customer helps you spot when you are using unsustainable customer service / product delivery procedures.

    1. Cost of customer service team, returns, refunds, etc.
    2. # of customers
  3. Lifetime value of a customer helps you think about customer retention and how to grow revenue from existing customers by keeping them longer or by solving other problems for them via new products.
    1. % of customers who renew
    2. Revenue per customer

These three metrics, while not all-inclusive, are a fantastic starting point.


You’re Invited! Lean Launchpad: Pioneer Valley Graduation & Demo Day


If you’ve been following this blog you know that the Lean Launchpad is the #1 entrepreneurship curriculum in the country.  It has proven it can dramatically increase startups’ odds of success by accelerating their ability to find a repeatable, scalable business model before they run out of ramen noodles (or spousal patience :)).  


The latest cohort of Western Massachusetts teams to complete the Lean Launchpad curriculum is graduating on 4/28 @ 5pm and giving their final presentations.  No spin-ridden investor pitches will be shown this night.  Instead the audience will hear how the companies developed their ideas, field tested them with real customers, changed (often radically) their businesses, and did the whole process over and over again until they got it right or ran out of time.  You’ll see how they learn and how they adapt.  You’ll also see how the Lean Launchpad curriculum is so different.  

And after the presentations… then there will be wine :).

You must RSVP to attend as space (and wine!) is limited.  We would love to have you join us.

Click to RSVP via Eventbrite

Click to RSVP via Eventbrite


What a Customers Who’s “Hair is On Fire” Looks Like

Steve Blank‘s Customer Development methodology emphasizes that startups need to seek “earlyvangelists,” potential customers who’s “hair is on fire.”  Great image!  Makes sense when you hear it!  Then you try to find such customers and… their hair is not literally on fire so you struggle to apply the concept!

Here is a definition that my students find helpful (adapted from Steve Blank’s work):

A Customer’s “Hair is on fire” when they are in so much pain that they are already spending time and/or money on some hodgepodge solution that you are superior to?  

Tag Lines Should Emphasize Benefits, not Features

Tag lines – they should follow the same rules as elsewhere in your presentation.  “Don’t tell me about your lawn fertilizer, tell me about my lawn.

Bad tagline: “All inPlay – Multiplayer online video games for the visually impaired and their friends & family.” – This emphasizes FEATURES.  Why do we care that these are multiplayer online games?

Good one: “All inPlay – Allowing the visually impaired to play and interact with their friends and family unhandicapped and as equals.” – This emphasizes the benefits making it clear to anyone why this company is valuable.