Product Market Flop
what if product and market met a networking event? would they find fit?
Hey! It’s me - the market. Got a minute to chat?
I heard you have a product for me? That’s great - I have so many problems you can solve for me. I’d love to gauge if we’re a fit.
You’ve already got a handle on all my problems? But we barely know each other. There’s so much I have to tell you. I have so many…edge cases.
A roadmap? Listen, I like that you’re so organized, but I don’t know that I’ve thought about all my issues the way you have - it all feels so structured and sequenced. I’m still figuring myself out…maybe we could talk about it some more?
You don’t think we need to talk about it? I think some research would help you approach me with less friction. I know everyone is product-led these days, but I’m a bit old-fashioned…
Oh, I didn’t realize research was so expensive and a waste of time. I was thinking we’d keep it lightweight, just a few conversations with users in my inner circle.
You talked to an admin who talked to a buyer who said they had some budget? Ok, I’m not sure those folks truly understand what I’m struggling with…
You think they represent me? I’m not following - what gave you confidence that they speak for me?
SAM? Who is SAM?
Addressable? All my problems are addressable! Just because some of them can’t be immediately monetized doesn’t mean they’re not worth talking about. If you’ll just spend some time listening to what I have to say, I’m sure we can find a fit.
You think revenue represents fit? Ok, I’m not sure about that - just because someone is paying you claiming to solve a problem for me, doesn’t mean I’m getting value.
You’re right, I haven’t heard your value proposition. Can you tell me more?
It’s the same as the competition, but cheaper? OK - I guess cost matters a little bit, but there are so many other things I have to take into consideration when I choose a product.
Packaging? Ok, I think that helps your sellers, not my users. I’m not sure why you keep telling me how much easier it is to buy - I’m still hung up on fit.
AI? I don’t think I even know what I want in terms of AI. Just becuase everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean I’m ready for that. Can we talk about change management - I’ve got a lot of users who will need to re-learn things.
Casuals? That’s a disrespectful term! All my users matter. It’s strange that you only want to listen to the powerful ones. Honestly, some references I spoke to think this is all just going to end in…churn. You need to start paying attention to my needs!
Experiment? But my users didn’t sign up to be experimented on! In fact, we’d prefer consistency and quality and reliability over all this superficial change.
That’s not what your leadership team thinks? What do they know about me?!? I’ve heard them speak - they talk about me like I’m just a means to an end!
They read about me? Where??
Gartner and Forrester? Are they friends of SAM?
Oh, I do remember getting some calls from those analysts - I let it go to voicemail. I think you might have an oversimplified view of me based on big assumptions and old information. It really would be easier if we could just communicate directly, product to market.
Your website? I’m not visiting your website. None of my users are championing you, so I’m not sure why I would go to all that effort and spend more time learning about you. My time is precious - I’ve got a job to be done. Do you even know what that is??
Your campaign messages? Yeah, I vaguely recall those. I don’t spend much time on those channels, so those messages kind of get ignored.
You paid someone for access to me?? Umm, that’s kind of desperate. I’m gonna be blunt, I’m barely even aware of you. I get a lot of mixed messages about you from users I trust.
ICP! Woah woah - are you some sort of weirdo?
Ideal customer? You actually think we’re ready to get…contractual? I don’t know that I want to be your…customer. I need more than…pixels. And you don’t really bring anything else to the table.
Yes, yes, we did do that pilot. But it didn’t mean anything. I had to export to CSV just to complete my workflow.
$1M in ARR? Ok, I’m not sure why my admin paid you that much for a proof of concept, but I don’t think I’m ready to move forward with a more serious commitment.
3 year deal? Listen, this is all moving kind of fast for me - maybe I’ll go to talk to this other product over here. They seem meaningfully differentiated and well adopted.
Hey! It’s me - the market. Got a minute to chat?
As always, I’d love to hear from readers about their experiences with product market fit (and flop) - please chime in via comments👇 or join the chat via the Substack app.
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further reading / references
if you enjoy satirical posts like this one, check out Savior Syndrome, The Ineffective Executive, and Product Onions
for serious thoughts on PMF, check out my framework for Product Market Flex
childish drawing / interpretation
I admit I laughed out loud at "Gartner and Forrester? Are they friends of SAM?"
Really well done.