Find your Perfect Fit: Where Product Meets Market

Hi!

Welcome to Sparksense's Newsletter! Every month, I personally bring you insights to fuel your sales strategies, drive business growth, and succeed on your entrepreneurial journey. My focus is clear: to equip you with actionable takeaways.

This month, let’s dive into How to find your Perfect Product-Market Fit. 

"Make something people want," says Paul Graham. But what do they actually want? 

First Things First: What is Product-Market Fit (PMF)? 

Should we go with Marc Andreessen PMF? “being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market”. Or with Sean Ellis' more demanding definition, when at least 40% of users say they’d be very disappointed if they could no longer use the product, you’re likely there. PMF is the point when users are so satisfied that they promote your product on their own.

In the PMF journey, the “Build. Measure. Learn” cycle is essential.

Start to build a product, measure user reactions, and learn from the data to iterate. For hardware, early feedback is critical due to long development cycles and resource constraints. Engage potential users before finalizing designs to reduce costly changes later.

5 Steps to Achieving PMF

Step 1: Define Your Sales Objective. Whether you launch a new product in a new market (breakthrough) or in an existing market (replacement) will impact your approach. You will either offer a better solution to knowledgeable prospects or create new untapped opportunities.

Step 2: Identify Your “Beachhead” Market. Pin down your Ideal Customer Profile. Identify your target industry, customer types (e.g., OEM, service provider, end user), and key personas to validate where to launch your product effectively.

Step 3: Engage with the Market. Reach out to decision-makers who face the problem you aim to solve. 

Step 4: Collect Actionable Feedback. Record conversations, notes, and calls to build market intelligence over time. Focus on understanding the problem's urgency, product requirements, and preferred pricing models.

Step 5: Evolve Your Product. Adapt based on feedback—this is the “fit” in Product-Market Fit. Refine your product as needed, or consider targeting a new “beachhead” market where it might resonate better.

You are unsure where to start or how to reach out to relevant decision makers? Let’s Talk!

The Sequoia Arc: 3 Archetypes of PMF that Deep Tech Companies Encounter

• Hair on Fire: you’re solving a burning, immediate problem with a solution that users urgently need. Success in this path depends on speed and a clear differentiation.

• Hard Fact: your product challenges a “hard truth” that people have accepted as unchangeable. To succeed here, you’ll need to shift behaviors or industry habits.

• Future Vision: you’re creating something visionary that users may not yet realize they need. This path requires endurance, as customers may be slow to adopt and understand the product’s value.

Each path has its own operating priorities and pitfalls. Where do you fit?

Steve Blank, in his article tells a story about two startup founders who created a detailed business plan only to find that half their assumptions were wrong after meeting potential customers. 

Blank’s advice? Instead of sticking rigidly to your initial plan for the product, focus on testing and refining it with real-world feedback. 

Talk to the right people for your Product with Lusha

Lusha is a great tool for you to reach the right audience and validate your product value:

• Engage with key contacts – it connects you with the right people, so you know if your product is truly relevant.

• Map out the organization – understanding an organization’s structure helps you target the people who can give real feedback on your product’s fit.

With Lusha, you’re not just reaching out, you’re reaching the people who matter most for PMF.

Spectricity Drives Global Sensor Integration with Sparksense

Spectricity is a Belgium-based fabless company pioneering spectral sensing solutions using advanced CMOS technology, designed for high-volume production in mobile and consumer devices. Founded in 2018 and backed by venture capital, Spectricity is a Spin-off from imec.

Product-Market Fit in Action: While mobile applications are a core focus, Spectricity’s sensors also have potential in health monitoring, environmental sensing, and smart home devices. Spectricity partners with parksense to target global sensor applications and integrate their technology with industry OEM’s. 

Are you looking to grow into demanding deep tech markets? Let’s discuss your industry requirements and speed up your market adoption. Reach out to uncover new growth opportunities with Sparksense.

Tap into hidden market opportunities in … Smart Utility Management

Are you looking for ways to scale your business or struggling to compete with industry giants? We work with entrepreneurs to uncover untapped market opportunities in second-tier sectors, where growth potential is often overlooked.

Do you want to have access to more decision makers? Let’s work together  to identify the Hidden Champions that need YOUR STARTUP’s solution.

Want to know more about Sparksense? Discover our services and packages here. Additionally, we offer free valuable insights and strategies to boost your entrepreneurial journey. Download our comprehensive Business Development Guide ebook. Let’s talk to find out how we can help take your sales to the next level. Book a call with me today!

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions please feel free to email me directly.

Sincerely,

Hervé Flutto,

Managing Director and Founder of Sparksense

About Sparksense

With 150 global clients supported over the last 6 years, Sparksense is the trusted Sales Team for B2B Tech Startups. With a smarter outreach, Sparksense’s team of over 30+ advisors has ignited sales for hardware and software solutions across Europe, North America and Asia – thanks to its robust, proven business development skills and relevant market access to decision makers across key industries.

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