This post was originally published on December 3, 2024 on LinkedIn

This morning, my four-year-old daughter and I were eating breakfast when she suddenly jumped out of her seat and pointed out the window. She was talking excitedly—clearly trying to tell me something—but her mouth was full of food, and I couldn’t understand a word.

So I guessed: a bird? Clouds? The neighbors’ dogs?

All wrong.

She rolled her eyes (how do they learn that so early?) and sat back down.

Figuring out what someone wants when they can’t articulate it is hard—and anyone who has tried to create a new product or launch a business knows the feeling. You want to build something customers love, but deciphering what they really want is no easy task.

Add the pressure to make it profitable, and you’ve got the challenge of creating product-market fit.

The Challenge: Creating Product-Market Fit

What’s the Problem?

Coming up with a new product idea? Easy.

Coming up with a new product idea that a lot of people will buy? Much harder.

This is the heart of product-market fit: making our product highly desirable for as many buyers as possible so that our new offering is a business success. 

Why is It So Challenging?

Product-market fit is tough because it requires clarity in a sea of ambiguity.

• Understanding Consumers’ Needs: Customers—like toddlers—rarely articulate exactly what they truly want. It’s up to us to dig deeper and uncover the hidden opportunities in their words.

• Standing Out in the Market: Genuine white space is rare. Even with thorough competitive research, unseen competitors or alternatives often lurk below the surface.

• Appealing to a Broad Audience: Consumers expect products tailored to their lives, making it harder for us to create something that scales without losing relevance.

While we factor all of the above into our early product development process, we often get hit with some hard truths once we start collecting customer feedback:

• Our value proposition isn’t as strong as we thought

• Our product isn’t as unique as expected

• Fewer people are willing to pay our target price

These are tough pills to swallow—but they’re also opportunities to improve.

How to Navigate this Challenge

1. Revisit Your Product

If buyers seem disinterested, revisit your product with fresh eyes. Ask: What feature would make it a “must buy”? What can we remove without losing its core value?

Adapting your product to create more interest may be the key to solving this challenge. Even small changes can make a big difference. 

2. Create New Points of Differentiation

If your product isn’t standing out, ask: How else can we be different? What are others not doing?

Differentiation doesn’t always mean changing the product. Consider your branding, profit model, service model, etc. Whatever you adjust, ensure it creates real value for your audience.

3. Rethink Your Audience

If fewer consumers are interested than expected, ask: Are we targeting the right people? Are there others who face this same challenge?

Sometimes, success is about finding untapped audiences who also need your offering. Explore new positioning that will resonate with them too. 

Turning Product-Market Fit into Product-Market Success

Creating product-market fit is one of the toughest parts of innovation—but also one of the most rewarding. It’s an opportunity to refine your idea, deepen your understanding of your audience and set the foundation for long-term success.

With curiosity, persistence and a willingness to adapt, we can turn obstacles into opportunities.

Oh, and my daughter? She had spontaneously remembered that she wanted to wear a princess dress to school. The window—or anything outside—had nothing to do with it.

Obviously.