The Physics of Startups with Rob Snyder

Rob Snyder, a three-time founder and Harvard Innovation Lab fellow, dives into the often-misunderstood art of sales discovery. He explains why many calls fail and introduces his PULL framework to identify buyer demand effectively. Listeners learn to ask the critical question, "Why did you take this call?" and how to listen for key signals within customer monologues. Rob shares strategies to avoid irrelevant pitches and demonstrates the importance of being concise, ensuring that founders maximize their chances of making a genuine connection.

The discussion dives deep into the relationship between supply and demand in AI startups, countering the hype around instant growth. It tackles the misconception that buyers want AI itself; instead, they seek outcomes that AI can provide. Historical insights from Henry Ford challenge entrepreneurs to focus on real customer needs. Key case studies highlight how AI meets existing demands, such as easing tedious workflows. Practical advice centers on understanding customer signals through calendars, ensuring solutions align with genuine buyer problems.

Explore the concept of 'PULL' and why it's essential for startups. Discover how this idea applies across sectors, from enterprise sales to B2C. Learn about turning a single enterprise sale into repeatable demand and the tactics to uncover 'PULL' in large customers. Delve into the differences between SMB and enterprise dynamics, plus see how consumer product design benefits from hands-on customer observations. The discussion even touches on hardware validation and the importance of listening to sales calls to identify buyer urgency.

Rob Snyder, a founder coach and writer focused on product-market fit, dives deep into the PULL framework. He explains that PULL is when customers "rip a product out of your hands" and details its four key aspects. Discover how to navigate sales calls by understanding customer priorities and the difference between actual demand and mere desire for products. Rob debunks common misconceptions about pain points and emphasizes that customers care about their own goals. This discussion is a must-listen for founders and salespeople seeking true demand!

The hosts tackle three common yet destructive sales mindsets that founders often adopt. The 'Helpful' founder mistakenly believes showing value will drive sales, leading to wasted calls. Meanwhile, the 'Smart' founder's urge to impress can alienate customers who feel unheard. Lastly, the 'Noble' founder prioritizes their mission over customer needs, creating moral lectures that push potential buyers away. Listeners get tactical advice on correcting these pathologies to better understand demand and improve sales outcomes.

Blog post: "Strict Productivity" on https://howtogrow.substack.com/Work with Rob: www.robsnyder.orgRob and RC discuss productivity based on a foundational understanding of *what is a startup* which is the necessary foundation for doing productive things. Conversation addresses the constraint-theory approach to understanding your startup, identifying bottlenecks, and practical ways Rob sees great founders tackling bottlenecks. Also get into why there is so much performative LARPing in startup-world. ----Rob's website: www.robsnyder.orgConnect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Weekly founder insights: https://howtogrow.substack.com/

Full Substack post "Customer Success": https://howtogrow.substack.com/Work with Rob: InfoRob's Miro: https://bit.ly/4q9JiP3Rob and RC focus on the "post-sell" part of PMF in this convo - customer success and retention. They discuss Rob's thinking on how to define success, what to focus on, and why so many founders are focused on the wrong metrics or doing customer success wrong ("Throwing the product over the wall"). They also discuss goblin mode, and practical steps for founders who want to improve customer success and retention. ----Rob's website: www.robsnyder.orgConnect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Weekly founder insights: https://howtogrow.substack.com/

Explore the intriguing concept of the 'Divine Lever,' which merges causality with objective goodness in business. Discover how focusing on real customer demand can lead to valuable startups. The discussion contrasts self-centered business philosophies with a demand-first approach. Learn why purity of motive is essential for quality and how unconventional choices can drive success. They also tackle practical dilemmas like knowing when to push through or when to quit and the importance of differentiating your solution in a competitive market.

Explore what to do when demand is lukewarm or unclear. Distinguish between demand problems and execution issues that can trip up founders. Discover the signs of true demand and how to listen for real interest rather than mere enthusiasm. Learn how to refine your target audience using unexpected interest insights. Get tips on fixing bottlenecks by communicating with lost prospects and understand the nuances between fast and slow deals. Finally, find out crucial steps on how to effectively conduct a demand audit.

Full post on Rob's Substack: LINK (Post: "Force against the status quo")Info on working with Rob: LINKRob has sharpened his theory on what exactly is demand for startups. Rob and RC dive into this, exploring how Demand behaves like a "Force against the status quo" - which has both magnitude (how much the customer wants change) and direction (what shape they want). This theory builds on Rob's Demand, Supply and PULL frameworks - and is helpful especially for founders struggling with lukewarm demand, difficulty closing deals, mixed messages from customers, demos, outbound, etc.--Rob's website: https://www.robsnyder.orgRob's Substack: LINK