Ever launched a new product variation that flopped harder than a wet sponge?
You thought: “Let’s add more options. More colors. More features. More value!”
And then… crickets.
No extra conversions. No extra love. Just extra inventory.
This is the trap. The seductive lie that building more means selling better.
But here’s the truth:
The best product doesn’t win. The one that sells does.
And until you fully internalize that, you’ll keep building in a vacuum mistaking what you love for what your customer wants.
Let’s dig into the shift that separates stuck founders from those who build bestsellers, not dust collectors.
Step 1: Sell the Hole, Not the Drill
You’ve heard it. It’s cliché, but powerful.
“No one wants a drill. They want a hole.”
Scratch that. They don’t even want the hole.
They want to hang a picture of their kid.
So what are you selling?
If you’re in ecommerce, and you just added four new color variations to your top seller without checking if anyone asked for them, you didn’t sell more.
You just gave your supplier more work and your warehouse more clutter.
Too many founders fall in love with their idea. That’s dangerous.
The better question: “What is someone already trying to solve with duct tape, spreadsheets, or a dozen browser tabs?”
That’s where pain lives. That’s where urgency lives. That’s where money lives.
Pro tip: If you’re not solving a painful problem or amplifying a clear desire, you’re probably not solving a paid problem either.
Action step: Talk to 10 potential buyers this week. Ask:
- What frustrates you daily at work?
- What have you tried that didn’t work?
- What’s the cost of doing nothing?
Founder lesson: Don’t confuse choice with demand. Always validate the desire behind the variation before launching it.
Step 2: Test the Offer Before You Build
This one will save you time, money, and your sanity.
Before you spin up the factory or code another feature, test the story.
Not the SKU.
Not the design.
The story.
Can you explain what problem it solves or what desire it fulfills in a single sentence?
Action step:
- Throw up a simple landing page
- Use a headline that promises a transformation
- Add a mockup or photo
- Include a “Notify Me” or preorder button
Run $50 of traffic to it. Ask people what caught their eye. Then shut up and listen.
Mindset shift: The offer is the product. The narrative is the feature set. Build the story before you build the thing.
Step 3: Ask What They’re Already Solving Manually
Your customer’s biggest pain often looks like a workaround.
They’re juggling spreadsheets. Hacking together hacks. Using three browser tabs when one would do.
That’s the goldmine.
If they’re already trying to solve it, they’ll pay for someone to solve it faster, easier, or cleaner.
In ecommerce:
Look at reviews on competing products. What are people complaining about?
- “Too bulky for small spaces”
- “The zipper always breaks”
- “I wish it had a handle”
That’s not noise. That’s insight.
Pro tip: Build around the workarounds.
Step 4: Build for Urgency, Not Just Utility
Just because a product is useful doesn’t mean it’s wanted now.
The drill is useful.
The desire to hang family photos before your in-laws visit? That’s urgent.
In SaaS or ecommerce, build for the “oh no” moment.
- The night before vacation when they realize they forgot to pack.
- The Shopify merchant in panic mode because ad spend’s up and sales are down.
- The last-minute gift shopper who forgot the birthday.
Action step:
Reposition your offer around the moment of need, not the feature list. Speak to the outcome, not the object.
Step 5: Love Selling or Love Wasting Time
If you’re still hoping the product will “sell itself,” read this slowly:
There’s no such thing.
Even Apple sells. Every ad. Every keynote. Every experience is crafted to make you feel something, want something, and buy something.
As a founder, your job is to be the head of sales, even if you hate it.
Selling is about understanding psychology. Translating features into feelings. Making your customer the hero, not your product.
Action step:
Get on five calls this week. Ask your customers:
- What made you pull the trigger?
- What almost stopped you?
- What would make you refer us?
Then take those insights and use them to rewrite your product descriptions, ads, and email subject lines.
Final Thought: The Product Is Never Finished. The Offer Is Always Evolving.
Here’s the gut punch:
You might have the best-built product, but if you can’t connect it to what your customer wants, it’s worthless.
Don’t build the next “sage green” variant just because it looks good in your brand palette.
Build what sells. Sell what solves. Solve what hurts.
That’s the game.
The best technology, the best design, the best intentions mean nothing if the customer doesn’t want it enough to pay for it.
So the next time you’re tempted to add a feature or SKU, pause and ask:
“Will this help someone hang their picture?”
If not, put down the drill.
