When You Have A Solution People Don't Know They Need
Nov 20, 2023
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Entrepreneur Garry Cooper discusses how his company Rheaply addresses the problem of resource management in large companies. They created innovative software to help employees find and reuse items, reducing unnecessary purchases and waste. The challenge was getting clients to recognize the problem and value the solution. Cooper highlights the importance of passion, recruiting champions, and providing empirical data to demonstrate the value of their solution.
Creating data-driven case studies and offering affordable pricing can help convince potential clients of the value of a solution.
Passion, allies, and empirical data are essential for building credibility and driving long-term success in solving problems.
Deep dives
Identifying Three Types of Companies
According to Jason Fyfer, there are three types of companies. The first type creates a solution that people know they need, like a plumber who solves a plumbing issue. The second type creates a solution that nobody really needs, such as a mug that controls liquid temperature from a phone. The third type creates a solution that people need but don't realize they need. These are solutions that offer great benefits, but clients don't see the need for them initially.
Introducing Reapley's Solution
Gary Cooper, CEO and co-founder of Reapley, shares their mission to help companies with reuse and reduce waste. They provide software solutions for employees to find if their company already owns the item they need or if someone else in the company can use their no-longer-needed items. Reapley aims to reduce waste and save organizations money by facilitating reuse within the company, but they face challenges since organizations often haven't considered this as a problem.
Overcoming Resistance and Generating Buy-In
To overcome initial resistance and convince potential clients of the value of their solution, Reapley focused on creating data-driven case studies. By offering affordable pricing and gamifying the platform to incentivize engagement, Reapley was able to show early clients the cost savings and environmental impact they could achieve. They also published their success stories and engaged with sustainability-minded students and organizations, creating a community of passionate supporters.
The Power of Passion, Finding Allies, and Providing Data
Gary emphasizes the importance of passion as a driving force for entrepreneurs. To overcome resistance and skepticism, it's crucial to find allies who share the vision and amplify the message. Additionally, generating empirical data and case studies plays a vital role in convincing potential clients of the value and potential benefits of a new solution. Passion, allies, and data all contribute to building credibility and driving long-term success.
Sometimes, a company creates an amazing solution... but clients don't understand why they need it. What do you do then? Garry Cooper has the answer, because it's exactly what he had to do at his company Rheaply. Here's the problem, as Rheaply saw it: At large companies, employees often buy things the company already has. They also throw out things the company could still use. That's because there's no way for everyone in the company to know what they have, what they need, and how to get items across that divide. Garry and his team built Rheaply to solve that problem. It helps companies reuse products... if only they could get clients to recognize this as a problem, and realize the value of the solution. Here's how Rheaply did it. Sponsor: Paper & Packaging Board. Learn more at howlifeunfolds.com/innovation