Creating Value Propositions For Emerging Technologies

In case you missed my talk today at the AMAA event, here are 5 key takeaways for driving adoption of general emerging tech, inspired by Jonah Berger's The Catalyst: 1. Don't "Sell" the Tech; Diagnose and Solve the User's Problem. The most critical shift is moving away from features-and-benefits evangelism. Instead, become a "catalyst" by deeply understanding why the target audience hasn't already adopted the new tech. Identify their existing pain points, anxieties, and ingrained habits, and then position the emerging tech as the direct, friction-reducing solution to their specific obstacles, not just a cool new tool. 2. Quantify the Cost of "Doing Nothing" (The Status Quo). People inherently resist change due to "endowment bias" – the perceived value of what they already possess (even if it's suboptimal). To counter this, vividly illustrate the quantifiable, often hidden, costs of sticking with the old ways. Show how inaction leads to lost efficiency, missed opportunities, increased vulnerability, or competitive disadvantage. Make the existing situation feel more costly and risky than adopting the new solution. 3. Make the Unfamiliar Feel Familiar (Shrink the Distance). Emerging technologies often feel distant or intimidating. Bridge this psychological gap by connecting the new tech to existing mental models or familiar workflows. This could mean integrating it seamlessly into current systems, using analogies to widely adopted technologies, or breaking down complex changes into small, easily digestible, and less daunting steps. The goal is to reduce the perceived leap required for adoption. 4. De-Risk Trial and Experience (Alleviate Uncertainty). The unknown generates paralyzing uncertainty. For emerging tech, reduce the perceived risk of trying it out. Offer low-commitment pilots, free trials, "try before you buy" options, or phased rollouts. Focus on delivering tangible, immediate value with minimal upfront investment or perceived disruption, allowing users to experience benefits and build confidence without high stakes. Remember: this isn't just a trial. It's a solved problem, delivered. 5. Leverage Social Proof and Trusted Voices (Corroborate & Encourage Others). Humans are inherently influenced by what others do, especially those they respect or relate to. Actively showcase successful adoptions, particularly by peers, industry leaders, or respected third parties. This goes beyond testimonials; it's about demonstrating real-world impact through credible case studies or endorsements from diverse, trusted sources. This collective validation reduces individual risk perception and signals that adoption is becoming the norm. If you're interested in the full script from the talk (including targeted examples for internal stakeholders, external investors, or regulators/policymakers), email me at alison@theoutlooklab.com or DM me here. Thank you again to Michael Petch and the 3D Printing Industry team for the opportunity today.

AI transformation promises significant returns. However, building a credible business case that resonates with buyers, particularly CFOs, remains something all AI vendors talk about. Quantifying AI's business value isn't as straightforward as it often is for more established technologies with standardized metrics. We're seeing several complexities: 1/ Diverse Use Cases & Buyers: The value drivers shift based on industry and business model, and the library of use cases gets broader while being more specific to the individual customer. Often, buyers themselves need more guidance in identifying the most impactful applications for their specific context. 2/ Complex Attribution: AI frequently enhances complex, existing processes, making it difficult to isolate and attribute outcomes solely to the new technology when other systems are involved. 3/ Moving Beyond Efficiency: Simple operational efficiency gains (like time savings) are often the entry point, but connecting AI to strategic goals will be the ultimate goal to make this relevant beyond the overall hyped that buyers may buy into. This requires moving beyond easily measured, but sometimes less impactful, efficiency metrics. 4/ The Credibility Factor: Even with compelling calculations pointing to extraordinary ROI, the narrative must feel achievable and pass a basic reality check to gain executive buy-in. We at Minoa launched the idea of ROI Guardrails, which limits unrealistic ROIs over a 12-month partnership and helps sellers identify potential ways to stretch out an ROI over a multiple-year journey. This landscape requires vendors to act more like strategic partners, proactively educating buyers on potential use cases where AI can help. It involves framing AI adoption as a journey, where initial value (perhaps modest) compounds significantly over time as capabilities mature and integrate. Success hinges less on specific features and more on co-creating a believable roadmap to substantial, long-term business outcomes. How are you tackling the challenge of articulating AI's value? What approaches or metrics are effectively demonstrating transformational impact beyond initial efficiencies? #ValueSelling #AI #GenAI

At early stages, your value prop needs to be uncomfortably narrow. Broad messaging and fuzzy benefits won’t land. You need to communicate deep value for a small niche. How to get specific: Segment: EV charger installers vs all electricians Geography: EV charger installers in California vs nationwide Org size: EV charger installers in California with 100+ customers And you need to get really specific on your differentiated value. Nobody cares about your top 10 features. What’s your 10X benefit over the status quo? Not: our home electrification upgrades have a higher ROI because of … This: our home electrification upgrades reduce payback from 6 years to 6 months because of … The more specific and narrowly focused the better. Don’t worry about your initial ICP feeling too small for VCs. As long as the overall market you’re playing in is large, they understand you need to go narrow first to win big later. --- Next up will talk to: Business Case and Pricing. The 2nd foundational area of our ClimateGTM framework at Growth Inflection.

You think you're selling AI products? Nope. You're selling outcomes. And that changes everything. Here's the deal: Most offers lead with their fancy tech capabilities. But customers don't care about your tech. They care about: → Solving their problems → Getting results → Reaching their goals So here's what you need to do: Reframe your entire offering around the end result. "Generate 50% more leads in 30 days" Is way more compelling than... “AI-powered lead generation" Every. Single. Time. -- Your homework: Rewrite your offer or product description without mentioning the product or technology once. Focus purely on the transformation you deliver. That's your real value proposition. That's what people actually want to buy.