Imagine your hair is on fire.
You wouldn’t care if the bucket of water I hand you is ugly, expensive, or leaking a little bit. You wouldn’t ask about the roadmap, the UI, or if it integrates with Slack. You’d grab it and dump it on your head immediately.
That’s a Hair on Fire problem.
In startups, this is the gold standard for early customers. You want people who are desperate for a solution. They don’t care about your bugs, your lack of features, or your pricing model. They just need the fire out.
If you have to convince someone they have a problem, their hair isn’t on fire. If they are asking for a discount or waiting for v2 before they buy, their hair isn’t on fire.
Find the fire. Sell the water.