Need a Wedge? Start with your customer’s "Insecurity Questions"

The flip side of desire is insecurity.

I think. I’ve never heard anyone say that before but it sounds kind of good. And it seems to check out. Also, it'll help you do one of the things our founders struggle with most - find a wedge product. 

Here’s an example.

If someone wants to become a writer, there will be a few nagging questions that pull them back. This is the struggle of desire vs. insecurity.

When they think about becoming a writer, that desire will be balanced out with what I call Insecurity Questions: 

• Can I even be a great writer?

• Would I even enjoy the life of a writer?

• Will I even make enough money as a writer to support my current lifestyle?

One hopeful writer might wrestle with all three of those questions, keeping them from making any serious progress towards actually becoming a writer.

If you were an entrepreneur building a writers collective - say, a 6-month program that paired writers with editors and a writing group for a few thousand dollars a pop - whether your potential customers can navigate those questions and decide to make a full-throated attempt at writing becomes critically important.

We talk a ton about wedges at Tacklebox - super contained products (that are often small enough to look like a feature) with ultra-fast feedback loops that hook a customer and build trust. Products with promises we're confident we can overdeliver on.

A good wedge product is critical for an early stage startup, but wedge products are often hard to think up.

Insecurity questions are a good place to start.

So, for a hopeful writer wondering if they'll actually be able to support their family as a writer, a webinar or coaching call or podcast titled “how to transition from a corporate salary to a writers salary and still support a family" might be a useful tool. It answers an Insecurity Question, which makes the customer feel like you’ve read their mind.

If you’re building an accounting tool for restaurants and you realize that lots of medium sized restaurants are trying to decide if they should begin catering (the desire), what are the insecurity questions that go along with it?

• Can I even get catering customers?

• Will you need to hire more staff?

• Do I have the infrastructure to support this?

• Is it even profitable? 

I’m making these questions up, but I’m confident there are Insecurity Questions paired with the desire to begin catering.

You solve those, you build trust, your customer thinks you're a mind reader ("I was actually wondering about that!"), and you sell a bunch of accounting software. Win win win. 

So, what’s your customer’s desire, and what are the insecure questions that go along with that desire you can answer with a wedge product?