April 04, 2023

EP24: Painkiller vs. Vitamin

20 minutes

Are you building a painkiller or a vitamin?

In this episode of In Demand, Asia Orangio, CEO of DemandMaven, breaks down the two categories of products and how you can use the concept in marketing your SAAS business.

You’ll learn why most successful SAAS businesses are pain killers, examples of both types of business, and how your messaging and positioning should adapt to the product your building.

TL;DR

0:48 - Breking down the concept of painkiller vs. vitamin as it applies to your product.

1:51 - What is a painkiller solution? It is a product that is solving a very specific problem directly. For example, Loom is a painkiller product for giving feedback and training to your team. A good test is if your product is relieving frustration or annoyance for your customers.

3:37- What is a vitamin solution? It is a product that fulfills a desire and aims for a better version of your customers organization.

4:45 - When it comes to building a SAAS business, you almost always want to focus on building a painkiller, solving a direct pain point for your customers.

7:08 - Why you can think of Zoom and Notion as examples of painkiller SAAS products. Zoom solved the pain point of friction and reliability with other video conferencing tools. Notion did what you formally needed multiple tools to do.

9:30 - A SAAS vitamin is rare because what motivates people and be willing to more money is experiencing a pain point

14:30 - Security and insurance products can be a painkiller for those who have already experienced the problem and a vitamin for those who haven't yet.

15:20 - The reason why understanding if you're building a painkiller or a vitamin matters is that it informs your messaging.

...more

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By Asia Orangio & Kim Talarczyk

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