Executives often see "discovery" as a slow, academic exercise. To overcome this, reframe the process as "derisking" the initiative. By referencing past projects that failed due to unvetted assumptions, you can position research not as a delay, but as a crucial step to prevent costly mistakes.
Positive feedback and expressions of interest are misleading. The ultimate validation for a product idea is a customer's willingness to commit real currency, whether through direct payment or a signed letter of intent. Without this commitment, you have a charity, not a business.
Achieving product-market fit isn't a permanent milestone. The moment you find it, market dynamics and customer expectations cause it to "drift." This requires continuous effort to maintain alignment, making it an ongoing process rather than a finish line to be crossed and forgotten.
Proving value for internal tools is challenging when direct revenue is absent. Treat inter-departmental budget allocation as a form of "payment" and a signal of buy-in. Alternatively, measure success through concrete efficiency gains, such as reducing a three-day financial reconciliation process to three hours.
It's not enough to improve engagement or NPS. A product manager's job is to understand and articulate how that metric connects to a financial outcome for the business. Whether it's growth, margin, or profitability, you must explain to leadership why your product goals matter to the bottom line.
Don't get distracted by the vague goal of "achieving product-market fit." Instead, focus on tangible, measurable signals of traction: Are people buying the product? Is the messaging resonating? Do you have the right sales funnel? These concrete metrics provide actionable feedback that leads to success.
Early demos shouldn't be used to ask, "Did we build the right thing?" Instead, present them to customers to test your core assumptions and ask, "Did we understand your problem correctly?" This reframes feedback, focusing on the root cause before investing heavily in a specific solution.
Don't build a perfect, feature-complete product for the mass market from day one. It's too expensive and risky. Instead, deliver a beta to innovator customers who are willing to go on the journey with you. Their feedback provides crucial signals for a more strategic, measured rollout.