Picture this: You’re at a dinner party, and someone asks, “So, what do you do?”
You proudly say, “I’m a Product Manager at a cybersecurity firm.”
They nod. Then comes the follow-up: “Oh, cool. What’s your product?”
And suddenly, you’re stuck. Take an extra big bite of broccoli and chew for just a bit too long. How do you explain your ultra-complex, highly technical platform to someone who doesn’t live in your world?
Relatable Problem: You struggle to explain your product in simple, compelling terms that anyone can understand.
Pro Tip: Use the Dinner Party Test to simplify your product story:
- Start with a relatable analogy: Compare your product to something they already understand. [It’s the ChatGPT specifically created for the XX industry.]
- Explain the problem in everyday terms: Why does your product matter? What’s the biggest benefit or the “special sauce” that sets your product apart.
- Introduce the hero: What does your product do, in one simple sentence? How will it change the user’s life?
- Leave them with an “aha” moment. “It’s a game changer because…”
Example:
A PM working on a cloud security platform simplified his message like this:
“You know how airports have TSA to check for threats before you board a plane? Our product does that—but for cloud security. We scan everything coming into your company’s network to stop cyber threats before they get in. The secret is in the code, we can detect threats that others really can’t.”
The person nodded. “Oh! That makes total sense.”
If someone outside your industry can understand your product, you’ve nailed your message.
Try the Dinner Party Test—and see how much clearer your product vision becomes.
Now pass the mac n’ cheese.
