Week 28: Best companies are evangelist of the problem and not the product
you "get to" not "have to" do this
last Friday, we completed our first Go-to-market roadshow in Seattle. Next stop on Boston and San Francisco and Q1 is shaping up to be in Atlanta, Washington DC and 2 more locations.
the question I get is why do it now when we are trying to build a business?
after all, most people coming to these events are not our customers….yet.
the cost of travel, food and location can get pretty expensive when you are trying to build a profitable company from day 1.
here’s why?
most companies that you and I admire and buy products from are not the best products in the world. They are most likely good but that’s not why we buy them.
we buy products that we believe represents us.
represent our values.
our perspectives.
our challenges.
our dreams.
think Apple, Salesforce, Hubspot and the list goes on but is a very short list.
these companies were not first to market with a product.
these companies were first to market with their evangelism.
doing a roadshow is our way of bringing the problem to the forefront and building a community together giving them connections, new vocabulary and a new framework.
the more people believe in the problem, the more will look for solutions and the bigger the market will be for us to play in.
that’s how we believe we can create the market and not just harvest it.
so here we go!
on a personal note
since the event was on Friday, I came hope pretty late Friday nite around 12:50 and hungry. saw Taco bell and I thought may be I got 10 mins before they shut down at 1 am.
so i drive by to find out it is closed due to some maintenance issue.
i could feel the hunger and thirst because the last thing i wanted to do was make noise going home to get some food with my family sleeping.
well - i didn’t get Taco bell but i eat a protein bar and recognized that this is what hard work looks like and slept with a smile on my face.
as i fell asleep my thoughts were - i did my part. the team worked hard. the event well. and the family is home safe.
what else can i ask for more in life than what God has already blessed me with.
Leader point: you “get to” do life and not “have to”. the joy is in the choice.
I appreciate your Go-To-Community approach. Thanks for letting us in on a strategy you believe works today.
Keep sharing Sangram. Love the choice you are making to build the pie, not fight for your slice. More power to you!!!