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Hot Seat: Discovering Your Key Insight

We're going to do a hot seat next and so I'm going to go through a whole series of these examples again and we're going to start with the before it after I move the whole way to the key insight before we moved to the hypothesis but I want to get a read on where you're at with those three questions now and this idea of bringing your expertise and your skills to bear in the marketing process in terms of the key insight so fist of five how are we on this material so far? Okay cool better than I expected and we'll come back in just a minute to the online audience but whitney why don't you come on up uh yeah why don't you bring that up that way? Um we've got some new boots come on down all right so I am gonna well I'm gonna sit right now that I mean it is the clipboard so everyone can see but um why don't you tell us who you are, what you dio and what your next big thing is? Sure so my name is whitney has and I mean user experience coach user experience is a field where we help companies ma...

ke their technology products easier and more pleasurable to use and I coach both teams and individuals teams who are looking to develop these practices in there businesses and individuals who are looking to break into the field awesome and so what's your next big thing? Well, my next big thing is that I have a coaching program for individuals now that I call learn the ropes, which is all about formalizing their knowledge of user experience and getting into it as a career but it's all one on one and I want to try to figure out how to make it a group coaching program so I can help more people and I can free up some of my time as well to work with other sorts of interview kendall's yes, so I've worked with whitney before and I'm actually going to ask you to rewind just a hair and talk about the personalization not generalization peace because I know that was a big aha for you because one of the one of the pitfalls I think that people run into or one of the sticking points that people run into in moving from one on one service work to a leveraged either leverage service, leveraged program or a product is that it's too hard to generalize everyone right? How do I meet everyone's needs with one group product? And so we had had a conversation about pinpointing some of those needs, so why don't you kind of share what that process was and maybe what some of those really specific needs are that you're looking to tackle in this particular offer? I can talk about my three specific people here that I lost it okay, so I won't use their names to protect the innocent, but we have one kind of person who has been attempting to do this work in their current position and is being told no by their superiors over and over and over again to the point where they're feeling like they've made the wrong choice to try to pursue this career try to transition into this because the people around them don't seem to support user experience they're not in an environment where this practice can thrive, okay that's one type of person another type of person has just got has just been hired into their first official user experience role. Okay, I've been doing this unofficially for a while, but now someone put the title on their business card and then they're realizing, oh my gosh, how much do I actually know about this now people expect me to know a lot more I was just tinkering before okay? And the last person that I have in mind is someone who is soon to graduate from school or recent grad who realizes or happened upon user experience and says this is actually what I want to do with my life I found my calling I just finished all of this school and it didn't teach me what I need to know to get into the field where do I start? All right cool and do you see your next big thing? The group coaching offer being applicable to each of these three people I would love to have one program where they can all be involved but I don't know okay, I should or if I should have different programs for different types of people so let's talk generally then about the before and after and see what see what we see okay, we're just gonna kind of unpack this all on the fly and see what happens. All right okay, so you can kind of speak generally if that works for you but without generalizing you know what I mean but without without necessarily referencing customer one two or three okay let's just think about the before first before they feel alone hey un supported lack of direction um overwhelmed by the possibilities uh what are some of the specific things that are happening at work? They're being held back by the people that they report to or in some cases of some clients I have there being leko because they've been trying to push a certain way of doing things that the business that they're working for it doesn't want to dio I would imagine that there's a flip side of not being hired they're not being hired that's another one lost dejected okay, great. So um any others like specific circumstances like these two held back by superiors air being let go not you hired not being promoted not being promoted uh what what is happening at meetings where these ideas are being suggested? Sometimes they stop getting invited to meeting ah because they're always trying to get the company to move in this what they consider more positive direction so they're probably a broken record kind of person in the office they are they've drank the kool aid and there desperately trying to make everyone else drink it too but it's like how are you people not getting this? This is to them it's so obvious and everyone else around them it feels like a huge expense it's a way that we haven't been doing business before so how would we change? And this isn't the priority yeah, so it seems it's more and more annoying to everyone else right that's becoming more and more of a problem person even as they're really trying to help the organization meet its goals right or the night the idea. So go back to that question of do you see this product being applicable to all three of these people? Would you say all three of these people feel alone un supported and feel a lack of direction? Yes would you do you feel like they all feel overwhelmed held back by superiors or people in authority possibly yes uh with the exception of maybe this new student I don't know whose help holt pulling them back but someone that might be holding them back or their parents yeah great point this is a field that's not well known and so they went to school for graphic design and everyone knows how much graphic design is needed in this world and yet user experience is a term they've never heard of and now they're telling their parents oh I want to go into user haslett basket way um being let go or not being hired very much stop getting invited lost ejected not being promoted broken record drinking the kool aid also all true right so just in example of how personalization has actually lead to something that while these people are three in three different situations we've created a or that's applicable to all three of them which said to you up really well for creating an offer a product actually building out the product itself that's applicable to all three of them as well awesome I love that e god I hope so so let's talk about the out after what do you all three of these people want they want to be supported and connected two others who share their passion they want a sense of direction they're not necessarily looking for me or anyone to do it all for them but they want to see what's on the horizon I want to be empowered yes and power is actually on my list. Okay, good prepared heard what about some of those specific detail kind of story things they want, they want to have the terminology tio reinforce that they know what they're talking about, because a lot of these people have been self taught and so they don't necessarily have the vocabulary of the field to use, you know, in a more formal basis on dh, there is a formality to this is well, but because they've just been reading books or blog's or following people on twitter, they now want to know how to put these things into practice. So the there's a confidence or a sense of being in charge knowing this isn't just something I read in a book, but this is how you actually go out into the world and do it? Yeah, so let's kind of going along those same lines let's, like bring this particular story, and so instead of instead of being I asked not to come to the meetings are not getting me invite to meetings. Now they're being probably drawn into more and more meetings because other people can see how relevant, right? Yes, there their ideas are, and I would use the word that they gain in fluent eight oh yeah, their organizations gain influence, and then a question that I always like to ask, and this is kind of applicable to everyone is what does that look like? And so this is a gain influence is absolutely like the big desire that they have and so then you could make it more even more relevant by kind of listing out circumstances that look like having mohr influence so getting invited to more meetings being asked to participate on more teams having colleagues ask their opinion on different projects being put in charge of projects getting in front of key stakeholders or senior leadership at their company being given budget for their own training it demonstrates the people that there's an understanding that what they're trying to do matters and they're being given an opportunity to learn and bring that knowledge back in the company yeah absolutely so this is a pretty great after plus all of those things that you just said yeah and is this um a desired after for all three of these people I would say definitely ok anything on here not drive with one of those three people no okay, sometimes that happens though, and that doesn't necessarily I mean it's a bad thing um you khun build out a product that's a crow or a a message message that's incredibly compelling to people even if they don't meet every single bullet point yes, in an ideal world you're clients or customers are all going to hit each bullet point of that after but it's not a big deal if they don't if the core of it really speaks to them write the same kind of thing with you know sometimes the details are a little off but those details actually make it more compelling not less compelling okay, so let's flip this around so keeping in mind our before and after now we're looking for the key insight so let's go back to what some of those questions where that we looked at before what you whitney hess expert uh extraordinaire no is the real reason then they haven't moved from before to after well one is negative self talk ah so there the one in the organization we're in their friend group or their professional circle whatever that has found this passion and other people don't get it and now they're telling themselves maybe I don't get it maybe this isn't as important and relevant and powerful as I think it is and especially for the person that stops getting invited to meetings gets let go doesn't get higher doesn't get promoted they can't help but feel as if it's their fault yeah so there's a lot of negativity all right so maybe I don't get it nobody respects me nobody trusts me yes why don't I go eat worms? I made a mistake by choosing this career oh I made a mistake okay what's another really reason people don't move from before to after on their own they are afraid of looking an experienced two others were making a mistake because they've been self taught, so they don't present the knowledge that they have because they don't want to look bad. Okay, okay. Fraid of looking uh uh, and ironically enough, they some of these people have been hired in this position, but it's their first official role doing this, and now they're even less confident in their ability to execute on it because someone took a chance on them on dh, they're not necessarily confident that they really know what they're doing. Yeah, I knew one of the other that we had talked about here with real reasons isn't them not being able to just communicate what it is like? Their ideas might be good, their ideas probably are good, but they can't communicate, they don't have the words, they don't have the yes, another great one is that they have been in maker positions, I call it so they've been the implementers, the execution people in their careers, maybe they're less experienced or their earlier in their careers and their they're having to shift to more of a manager influencer evangelist sort of role, and that is requires a whole different set of tools. It isn't just knowing the foundations of user experience, but it's self confidence, it's, communication, it's, empathy, it's you know so much more adaptability there's all of these what we call soft skills that they need to learn as well absolutely all right, let's let's move on to the other questions what would one thing they would need to know or experience to purchase to be willing to purchase your product? Okay, your offer firstly that there are a lot of people experiencing the exact same issues they are so they're not alone great what's out what else? Mom? See how simple that was to like don't overthink this it was so simple but it's exactly right they need to know they're not alone that could that could be a huge key insight for people. I actually used that on a headline of one of my programs so if you go to the kickstart labs with sales page, the headline is being independent shouldn't mean being alone the very idea that there are thousands of other entrepreneurs out there that feel alone because they want to be independent it's huge this city is a core human thing, right? Okay, like I get excited, they're worthy that worthy and lastly, I'd say there's a better way that already exists for a lot of people who have been trying to figure this out for themselves it's almost like they have to reinvent the wheel every time something comes up they may not recognize there's a process there are activities with best practices for how to conduct them and it makes doing it so much easier yeah perfect I love that one what ahhh ah mema would they need to make to make what ah ha moment would they need to have to make your offer more compelling so this I think is really different for these three different people I have in mind so let's do it that way one teo three so for the person who has not been getting hired are no longer invited to meetings and whatnot um I think that the ah ha moment would be recognizing that he's wrong about himself that it's not him it's them meaning he environment that he's in is wrong and he needs to go someplace where he's more likely to make an impact um and probably too that he has the power to get up and leave and go somewhere yes, right he he has been trying to change the environment that he's in rather than remove himself from the environment. Okay, awesome. The second person the ah ha moment I think is that there's a way to move from tactical to strategic in user experience tactical is I'm going to conduct this usability test and this is how you conduct a usability test strategic is user experience it is a philosophy it's the whole way everyone in the organization thinks it's about being customer obsessed it's about having a process in place so that when a project comes through these are the things we do relatively in this border not reinventing everything every time so that's big for him and the third is that there for the student? I think a big aha moment is that there is no one career path in this field you are the designer of your own career you design your own career that's hot I think for a twenty one year old that is a relatively novel concept but I don't know tio exactly um awesome. Okay, so what stands out to you here? What was a piece of information that you were like if I were one of those people, that is what I would need to know what stands out to you that we were just talking about tiffany it's not you it's them like that seemed huge like that you can actually change your environment rather than trying to make what your situation right now is work awesome. What else? What else stood out to you? Megan? Did you have fun? Um well, the designing your own career I mean, who doesn't want that? But what really start to me is that so many of her things are relevant to the thoughts and patterns of all of our people yeah, pro tip this stuff doesn't change like, well that's exactly what it is actually a good point because we have some of our chatter tour who are saying okay, so we're talking a lot about your particular path and your experience, but we have makers out there, we have artists out there and there is a correlation, right? Yeah, I'm actually going to show a maker example of the very end of the segment, so stay tuned for that because this well, we filled up the whole flipboard twice with whitney stuff it this stuff could also be boiled down very, very, very, very simply so I would encourage you no matter what it is that you make to go through the exercise and list out as many things as you can if you don't have much stuff is whitney had that's fine, but also then when you take a step back from it and you start analyzing and you ask what is the key inside I want to use this time because this is not a once and done thing every time you change your marketing every time you want to go through a new campaign, you can pick something different. What is what is this? What is the essence of this was the most simplistic, ah simple way that I can present this message, or what is the message that it would be most simple, too? Present so it doesn't. Yes, this is very specific and kind of transformational toe one industry. But at the core we're addressing things that you know repeat over and over and over again. Okay? And I will have a maker example a product example that toward the end, that will show you just how simple this can be. I love it. All right? Uh, other things that stood out, sasha, that there's a better way that already exists. Like there's. Hope. You know, you get through this? Yeah. Anyone? Anyone else? Something that stood out to you. Now we need what stood out to you. Was there a particular thing that you wrote down? That was that you were like, oh, damn that's good. Better way was definitely a part of it, I tell you, that was my favorite, too. There's a better way that already exists, because I think that you could create a funnel, a marketing funnel that's specific to each of those three people that still comes back to this story. All right. So even though yeah, your college student has the opportunity to design their own career, they do it in a in a world like in a a system that already exists in a world that's building welcoming for that, like, I mean, how many cups new graduates feel like the field of their choices just a closed door to them and you're suggesting that this is a world that is open arms welcoming that yeah we've read come on let's do this like left maybe internet a better place let's create better aps let's create better software yes right but it's also applicable to the manager to the newly promoted manager who's trying to figure this stuff out who's been put in charge of ah big group of people he wants to know that there's a better way that already exists because when that happens he can say hey what I need to do is not only learn that system myself but train everyone else which you already know that's a huge opportunity for you but you know there's a whole nother product there another offer and for the first person who's getting frustrated you know that could be a huge ah ha that there's a whole week maybe I'm not using the right language maybe I'm not someplace that recognises that this is a thing that and that this creates big big results for my organization so this becomes, um witness key insight there's a better way that already exists there's a community of u ex designers that are willing tto too well that want to welcome you into the fold and we have the system for you yes I love that okay that's a key insight does that make sense cool. Um I feel like there was something else I wanted to ask you about here but no, I guess that's about it questions about how we went from the top line personalization not generalization all the way down to the key insight. Tiffany, can you just repeat whether like, key insight was that because you said it was a campsite after so oh yeah, you know, so there's a better way that already exist is that essentially is the key insight okay, depending on how you're using it in the messaging whether you are like tomorrow we're going to get into content strategy and so the first piece of her content strategy not to give away too much might be you don't have to keep reinventing the wheel because what that is is the flip side of this truth, right? All right, so they keep thinking they have to reinvent the wheel that's their misconception and we're going bust that misconception right off so that their mohr and mohr and mohr willing to accept that there's a better way that already exist so you could start the conversation there you can write a headline with this uh eh well, this is where I'd kind of use that community piece which I kind of added, but I think it's true right there's a u x community that's we're going in every city in the world yes exactly so I might actually use that for a headline because it also ties into this not alone peace there are people who would love to help you and welcome you in the into the community of u ex designers and I'm one of them yeah okay, so that could be a headline on dh then in just a couple minutes we're going to talk about a hypothesis which is how you connect your key insight to the afters that people want and so you might take that same idea and rework the messaging a little bit again but in the end you're saying the same thing over and over again so people are integrating this message throughout the launch throughout all of your marketing so that when you go and make the offer people are like of course I need that this is perfect this is I can't believe this is what I was hoping she'd come out with and then she did little do they know that you this is a plan, right? You've been doing this on purpose but that's how it conceive is like, oh my gosh, I was so hoping that you deliver you know that you develop something like that because you're content marketing sets them up that way your communication with that consent them up that way so would you would you encourage us tohave one key insight to drive everything rather than oh, I like this one and this one and this one and this one so focused and singular one key insight I would actually like to see basically I would say uh she's got a whole bunch in here actually, the negative self talk could be a key insight stop talking to yourself like that you'll be a better you ex decider, right? Um uh this makers versus manager evangelists this could be a great key insight to I would probably use it on a later launch with a more targeted audience which I'm going to talk about that in a second to especially with this example the terminology and tools peace could be a key a key insight so there's lots of key insights here really? Probably most of this chart that you've just filled out is full of key insight that you could use for your launch to direct all your messaging, but you're eventually going to pick one, okay? And that becomes I'm totally giving away stuff now that becomes the destination point for your whole launch that's what you're working people teo that's what you create the path to you give people directions essentially okay? So there's a better way that already exists so yeah, the one other thing that I wanted to say here is that clearly we've created an opportunity for different marketing funnels different pathways to get to this key insight so that if whitney was doing some different outreach activities like say partnering one partnering with the school to partnering with a large organization and three doing internal marketing she would have a way to target each of these funnels it's not me it's them the environments wrong and he can change that environment that would be great internal marketing for you because that's probably largely what your audience is struggling u ex designers there's a way to move from strategic two tactical or tactical just strategic I forget which one you said africa lt's okay my bad um this would be perfect for the manager so if you were going to an organization and you were going to say I would like to train your teams or I would like to coach you ex designers within your organization you could create a funnel that starts people here and moves them to this ah and then this one would be great if you were going to a school and say doing a tele class or a presentation say to a graphic design department so you could talk about designing your own career and that you x is one of the ways that you could do that and that there's a community of people who will show you the way to do that so that you have the tools you need to design your own career so that's three different approaches to this marketing that all lead back toe one destination so then you know yes you've got all those different pieces running around and that could be a lot of work I would not suggest doing that right away what's in just doing that maybe six months from now or a year from now but still you're leading people back toa one message instead of trying to create three complete funnels you're essentially funnelling everyone in tow one message accents yeah ok great I think that's all I have for you do you know this was amazing? Okay, good. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay um so I guess I am asking you a sort of pick one right now this is an opportunity to talk back on twitter in the chat room use at terra gentilly or the hashtag terror alive and let us know what your key insight give us that piece of information that you know as an expert is going to move people and make them more likely to buy your product so let's get some feedback in here first and then we'll go back over to you. Oh great, let earlier yes, let's get the full story happening on twitter and be part of the party too eso amanda sue howl on twitter again using that hi amanda tear alive she's a creativity coach for quirky chicks she has her three people there before, is disorganized, unsure where to begin, not creative enough. Her after is organized strategy in hand, creative and visionary, and she just realized what they all three have in common and what the key in sight is with witches. They don't grasp the value they bring. They could be making huge differences in their realms if they realized how powerful they are. Okay, that right, right, yeah, that sounds fantastic. So the key insight can be a little kind of, um, most esoteric, like it's kind of living out by itself. Right now, we're going to create a world, a story around it that makes it make a lot more sense. So, amanda, please check back with us and let us know after the lead lab this afternoon what the story is that you're going to be leading off with in terms of your sales message.