We've created this amazing solution, how do we sell it ?

As AI takes center stage, I’m seeing a flood of firms churning out “amazing solutions” for problems that might not even exist. 🤨

This made me think of Eric Ries's "The Lean Startup", when I read that book in my early years of avionics software development, and up to that point I lived under the impression that we were at the top technological advancement ... that's when it hit me.

Sure, there were many incremental innovations (remember the vital role of safety in this industry), but I was working on development programs of new aircraft meant for industrialisation.

The Quadrant

Eric Ries book helped me map how we develop solutions into a simple framework

✅ Known Problem, Known Solution "Manufacturing": That's our world of engineering, Waterfall development model or V model, we are building a breaking system for a new aircraft, some minor changes in design based on spec, but typically something done before.

✅ Known Problem, Unknown Solution "Iterative Process": That's when an Agile methodology is used, where a problem is identified, then we iterate on the solution until "problem-solution fit" then it goes to "production".

✅ Unknown Problem, Unknown Solution "Explore the Unknown" : The scientific method by definition, we establish a hypothesis, then then test it until we extend our threshold of knowledge on the problem.

😵‍💫 Unknown Problem, Known Solution "The Dissonant Process" : To me this creates every time a Windows bug blue screen or a "kernel panic moment" for a while this would give me skin reactions... This wasn't discussed in the book and left undiscussed.

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About the last one, while my brain couldn't process it for a while, here is my take, and again I could be totally wrong, I am also exploring here what are the reasons.

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📦 Leading with The Solution

That's how "we" technical minded people default to when we go in business or build a startup. Idea-driven. We proud our selves into being "solution oriented" professionals, where we need to learn how to become"problem seekers".

🔮 Learning from The Wrong Places

I suspect we got "idea first" syndrome from marinating too long in large engineering firms (and the way they run their R&D) who got so disconnected from their users, that they live under the illusion they can get away with inventing something, without talking to their customers... it can cause the loss of the entire organisation !

🃏 The Gambler's Way

I don't think there is anything wrong with it if the organisation is ok to risk burn tens, maybe hundred of millions and have nothing to show for it. It get closer to "bluff" than "investment".

🎨 The Artist's Way

To me artists, and inventors do their craft from an inside-out source, they are not commissioned or solving anyones problem. I have absolutely nothing against being an inventor or an artist, it's just not a business model I can help with.

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🔧 What's the fix ?

You find yourself in the "known solution, unknown problem" space :

• If you're a large engineering firm, you may say "look for a suitable use-case" : call McKinsey. Not my lane. Otherwise ...
• Get back to the scientific method. If you can't ...
• Try to escape the Ikea-effect : The more we spend time building a solution, the more we get attached emotionally to it, the less likely we are welcoming feedback. Reframe your solution as an experiment, and talk to 5-10 prospects in your network who have the right customer profile for a problem discovery (Read "The Mom Test"). If you can't ...
• Find current 2 or 3 alternatives, by asking yourself : What are my prospects doing without my product ? If you don't

If we still can't find a problem our solution is solving, we may as well call it Art.