Dogs May Want Your Dog Food, But Are They Eating It, Liking It and Gaining Nutrition?
“Are the dogs eating the dog food” is a widely used metaphor in board meetings, but has a deeper subtext often left unexplored.
The real question is multi-fold.
- Do the dogs even want your dog food relative to what they eat today? i.e. are you solving a real problem better than alternatives and can you make the sale?
- Are the dogs liking your dogfood? i.e. do end-users actually use the product?
- Are the dogs gaining nutrition from your dogfood? i.e. is the product and its usage delivering measurable, tangible value?
Just because they want it does not mean they will eat it.
Just because they eat it does not mean they will like it.
Just because they like it does not mean they will not throw up or gain nutrition.
All three questions need to be convincingly answered to claim product-market fit.