Comments on: who is the customer? what problem is being solved? http://www.panttaja.com/jim/2007/06/08/who-is-the-customer-what-problem-is-being-solved/ Creating what's next Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:08:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Jim Panttaja » A road show of sorts http://www.panttaja.com/jim/2007/06/08/who-is-the-customer-what-problem-is-being-solved/#comment-8 Jim Panttaja » A road show of sorts Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:45:36 +0000 http://www.panttaja.com/jim/2007/06/08/who-is-the-customer-what-problem-is-being-solved/#comment-8 [...] advice of specific companies, some with advice on questions to answer about anything we get into (see my earlier post), some have included discussions of their favorite potential investment possibility, or current [...] [...] advice of specific companies, some with advice on questions to answer about anything we get into (see my earlier post), some have included discussions of their favorite potential investment possibility, or current [...]

]]> By: Jim http://www.panttaja.com/jim/2007/06/08/who-is-the-customer-what-problem-is-being-solved/#comment-7 Jim Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:38:41 +0000 http://www.panttaja.com/jim/2007/06/08/who-is-the-customer-what-problem-is-being-solved/#comment-7 Thank you Cynthia. In the case of voice mail - it would become a have-to-have - but wasn't at the time. I remember the reaction inside IBM when voice mail first arrived - it was quite negative. Somehow if you went to voice mail - the assumption was that that the person was avoiding your call. I think part of the key is to ask the questions. If the answers to some of them aren't ideal, it doesn't mean you should abandon the idea - but you should think carefully about whether to proceed - and if so - how to overcome some of the answers. Some entrepreneurs manage to get very far along without having thought through these questions. [and the whole point of all of this is to make sure that I am asking these questions as I evaluate possibilities] Thank you Cynthia. In the case of voice mail – it would become a have-to-have – but wasn’t at the time. I remember the reaction inside IBM when voice mail first arrived – it was quite negative. Somehow if you went to voice mail – the assumption was that that the person was avoiding your call.

I think part of the key is to ask the questions. If the answers to some of them aren’t ideal, it doesn’t mean you should abandon the idea – but you should think carefully about whether to proceed – and if so – how to overcome some of the answers.

Some entrepreneurs manage to get very far along without having thought through these questions. [and the whole point of all of this is to make sure that I am asking these questions as I evaluate possibilities]

]]> By: the islander http://www.panttaja.com/jim/2007/06/08/who-is-the-customer-what-problem-is-being-solved/#comment-6 the islander Sat, 09 Jun 2007 15:27:33 +0000 http://www.panttaja.com/jim/2007/06/08/who-is-the-customer-what-problem-is-being-solved/#comment-6 Hi Jim -- How great to have another Panttaja blogging! I just wanted to chime in with the simple question a venture capitalist once asked me -- is it a vitamin or a painkiller? It's a question I always ask myself -- a nice-to-have or a have-to-have. (Of course this doesn't work with consumer products) The tricky part is that with new technology that changes the paradigm, customers don't realize they won't be able to live without it....until they have it. I sold the first voice mail systems back in the early 80's and people just didn't think they needed it -- those pink slips worked just fine.....cynthia Hi Jim — How great to have another Panttaja blogging! I just wanted to chime in with the simple question a venture capitalist once asked me — is it a vitamin or a painkiller? It’s a question I always ask myself — a nice-to-have or a have-to-have. (Of course this doesn’t work with consumer products) The tricky part is that with new technology that changes the paradigm, customers don’t realize they won’t be able to live without it….until they have it. I sold the first voice mail systems back in the early 80′s and people just didn’t think they needed it — those pink slips worked just fine…..cynthia

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