[CASE STUDY] The one where the person you help and the person who buys from you are not the same person.
Two aspiring entrepreneurs developed an innovative solution to a common issue faced by sports fans in bars: the inability to hear the audio from a specific game when multiple TVs are playing simultaneously. Their solution, a smartphone app paired with hardware installed at the bar, allowed patrons to listen to the game of their choice via earbuds. While the product had significant potential, the entrepreneurs faced a major hurdle often shared by consultants and coaches trying to sell into businesses — getting the interest and attention of the decision maker.
Their frustration led them to apply to a startup accelerator so they could get a better understanding of the market for their product and refine their business model. I was their entrepreneur in residence during the 5 month program.
Background
The entrepreneurs had created an app that synchronized with audio channels in bars, allowing customers to select the sound for the game they were watching. The hardware component needed to be installed in bars to isolate the audio feeds, making the system functional. While the entrepreneurs were enthusiastic about how much this would improve the experience for sports fans, they struggled to get bar managers interested in testing the product. Despite having a clear value proposition for end-users,they had yet to convince key decision-makers—the bar managers—who controlled access to their target environment.
The Coaching Process
The coaching process began by clarifying the core challenge the entrepreneurs were facing: identifying why bar managers weren’t interested in their product. Initially, the entrepreneurs had focused exclusively on the customer experience, explaining in detail how their app would enhance sports fans’ time at the bar. However, they had not considered the perspective of bar managers or how the product would benefit them.
The first step in coaching was to shift the focus from the end-user to the primary barrier to any eventual sale: the bar managers. Through a series of coaching conversations, it became clear that the entrepreneurs needed to answer a critical question: “What problem are you solving for the bar manager?”
To address this, the entrepreneurs were tasked with conducting customer insight interviews with several bar managers. This research revealed that bar managers were less concerned about whether patrons enjoyed the games and more focused on finding was to get patrons to stay longer and spend more money.
Armed with this new understanding, we revamped their sales pitch. Rather than emphasizing the benefit to the person at the bar, they reframed their pitch to highlight how their app could help bar managers achieve their primary goal of boosting revenue. The new script focused on how patrons who could better engage with the game would likely stay longer and order that extra beer or food item.
Outcomes and Achievements
The shift in messaging proved to be highly successful. By speaking directly to the bar managers’ goals, the entrepreneurs’ quest to engage some test sites moved rapidly forward. Within weeks, five local bars had agreed to pilot their technology. The bar managers were eager to test the product, not because it enhanced the sports viewing experience, but because they believed it had the potential to keep customers engaged for longer periods, increasing sales.
Conclusion
Their journey is a great illustration of needing to consider not only the primary beneficiary of a product or service but also the needs of the decision-makers in the sales process. By shifting their focus from the customer’s enjoyment to the bar managers’ need to drive revenue, the entrepreneurs were able to unlock their market.
For other entrepreneurs, this case highlights the value of customer insight interviews and aligning the product or service’s promise with the priorities of the people who control purchasing decisions. From the initial pilot sites, the next step for the team was to try to quantify how much longer patrons who used the app stayed at the bar and their average check size. That information could then be leveraged into marketing and sales materials as the team built out their initial growth phase.
If you are a consultant or coach and the person purchasing your product isn’t necessarily the one who will benefit from it, there is enormous upside potential in asking “What problem am I solving?” for each stakeholder in the sales process.
There is additional power in understanding and acknowledging that the problems of the purchaser and the problems of the end user might be very different, and that your challenge is to provide a compelling solution for both of them.
If you are a B2B coach or consultant and you’d like some help figuring out the best way to get past the corporate gate keepers, book a brainstorming call with me and let’s talk.
