If you’d assess all the SaaS products you use on a given day, which is your favorite?
Why’s that the case? What makes it your favorite?
Often (at least, that’s the case for me), it’s because it’s there for you at the moment it matters. Some, not all, features stand out and have become highly valuable to you. So valuable that you’d recommend the product to others, just for that reason.
Instead of fixing ‘holes,’ the vendor has focused on creating ‘peaks.’
And that makes the difference.
If you reflect on the above: How does your roadmap look for the next six months? Where’s the bulk of your investment going?
- What’s the % occupied by ‘maintenance’?
- What’s the % occupied by ‘technical depth.’
- What’s the % occupied by ‘customer contracts’ or other single customer obligations?
- What’s the % occupied by all those small things customers have whispered in your ears to fill a gap here and there?
- What’s the % occupied by copying the latest moves of your competitor?
In the years I headed up product management at Unit4, I’ve seen the capacity for new product development evaporate because of the five categories above.
Don’t get me wrong, a certain % will always be occupied by maintenance and technical depth, but the key here is to do this in anticipation of what will matter a year from now.
Too often, we end up in a vicious circle of ‘catching up’; we move from busy to busier.
What if we’d start by creating more peaks and filling fewer holes? It’s the peaks that matter to customers. And this pays dividends (just check what Derek Osgood, CEO of Ignition, recently shared about this)
Question for you to reflect upon
What’s that peak of experience in your last release that people can’t stop talking about? What if you leveraged that in other ways?
Be Remarkable
Like this message?
Every day I send out a short 2 min reflection to help B2B SaaS CEOs discover the hidden gems towards Remarkable Traction. Join the 1,000+ subscribers that have become fans.
Not sure? Browse the archive