#51: Your Tech Is Brilliant. Does Anyone Care?

Chip Royce, Flywheel Advisors

We admire visionary technology leaders. They see a future state, a better way of operating, and a rare combination of courage and intellect. They build elegant solutions to complex problems, and once ready, step onto the launchpad, eager to reveal their creations to the world.

And then, nothing. Crickets. The market they intended to revolutionize continues its daily grind, showing complete indifference. The sales process becomes a brutal slog. The frustration is immense. They have superior technology, but it fails to attract customers.

This failure to launch is rarely a product problem. It’s a perception problem. Visionary founders often miss the mark in commercialization because of a gap in expectations. They expect the market to be as excited about their solution. But often, the market doesn’t even agree on the problem itself. The genius of a visionary is their ability to see a future state. Their failure often comes from a lack of situational awareness. They assume the market sees the same future, and they start selling a solution to people who are two or three steps behind them.

Your go-to-market strategy must match how aware your customer is of the problem you solve, not how visionary your solution is. Your job isn’t to sell a solution. It’s to match your message to the market’s current reality. Commercial success relies on diagnosing the market’s awareness first. Then, you can adjust your strategy to fit. The first step is to diagnose, not prescribe.

Here’s a framework I use to identify how the market perceives the problem you’re trying to solve. It breaks down market awareness into three distinct stages. Finding your market’s true stage is the key to bridging the gap between your vision and commercial reality.

Stage 1: Problem Unaware

Description: The market has no idea that a meaningful problem exists. They are living in the “old world,” completely oblivious to the pain or inefficiency that your solution addresses. Their current processes, despite their flaws in your eyes, are the established way of doing things. They don’t look for a solution as they don’t see anything currently broken. They aren’t searching against the keywords you target. They aren’t searching for solutions. They don’t feel your urgency.

Your Job: Your primary task is education and provocation. You must convince the market of a real, urgent, and expensive problem before ever introducing your solution. Your marketing can’t be about features, benefits, or competitive differentiation. It must be about the problem itself. Your goal is to create a disturbance in their world, to make them question the status quo.

This is the hardest and most expensive stage. It requires thought leadership, compelling data, and a narrative that reframes their reality. Focus on the hidden costs of their current approach. Discuss the emerging threats they haven’t noticed. Point out the missed opportunities they are blind to, not your product. Your content should be diagnostic, helping them see the symptoms of a disease they didn’t know they had.

I once saw a smart AI company try to sell a predictive analytics engine to manufacturers who still used paper and pencil. The technology was magic; it could forecast supply chain disruptions with incredible accuracy. The founders talked about their advanced algorithms and predictive power. The manufacturers stared with vacant expressions. The founders were selling a spaceship to people who hadn’t invented the wheel yet. The technology was a solution, but the market was Problem Unaware. The AI company had a great product, but failed by attempting a Stage 3 conversation with a Stage 1 audience. They needed to first sell the concept that relying on paper and pencil in a volatile world was an existential business risk.

Stage 2: Problem Aware

Description: The market now recognizes the problem and feels frustrated by it. They feel the pain. They complain in meetings, search for articles about their problem, and acknowledge the inefficiency. Yet, they are not aware that effective solutions are available. They may have attempted flimsy workarounds or older methods that didn’t succeed. This led them to think the problem is impossible to solve. There’s a sense of resignation. “Yes, this is a mess, but that’s the cost of doing business.”

Your Job: Your task is to build hope and establish a new category of solution. Your message must shift from “You have a problem” to “A solution is now possible.” You are no longer an educator; you are a change agent. Show them that new technology or a new method has made the impossible possible.

Here, case studies, early adopter testimonials, and proof-of-concept demonstrations are essential. You are not yet selling your specific product as the best choice. You are selling the viability of a solution in the first place, with you as the most credible pioneer. Your content should focus on what the “new world” looks like. It should create a strong image of the “after” state. Frustration disappears, and efficiency, predictability, and growth take their place. You are creating a category and positioning yourself as its leader. You’re moving the conversation from the problem to the possibility of a solution.

The results of staffing this role with an enthusiast are predictable: wasted time, damaged relationships, and a failed program.

Stage 3: Solution Aware

Description: The market knows the problem exists and researches different solutions. They educate themselves on the problem and believe they can solve it. They are now evaluating their options. They are creating spreadsheets to compare vendors, reading reviews, and asking for demos. They are asking questions about features, pricing, integration, and support.

Your Job: Now, and only now, is your job to prove that your solution is the best one for the buyer. This is where traditional product marketing and sales tactics finally come into play. Competitive differentiation, features, and benefits matter most at this stage. You need to be able to answer the question, “Why you?” Your messaging should be sharp, specific, and focused on what makes your offering superior to the alternatives. You are no longer selling the existence of the problem or the possibility of a solution. You are selling your solution’s unique value proposition.

This is the stage every founder wants to be in. It’s where the fight is on familiar ground. But the brutal truth is that very few markets for innovative products start here.

Meet the Market Where It Is

Most visionary founders make the mistake of starting their GTM strategy at Stage 3. They are so in love with their solution, so convinced of its superiority, that they assume the market is already in a rational evaluation mode. They invest in comparing features and making sales pitches. But they often face confusion and indifference. They are answering questions that nobody is asking.

The key to commercial success is the discipline to conduct an honest diagnosis of your market’s current state and address its needs. If your market is Problem Unaware, stop selling your solution and start selling the problem. Become the leading voice of provocation and education. If your market is Problem Aware, stop talking about features and start building hope. Show them realistic new ways to do their work.

Only when they invest in finding that new way do you have permission to tell them why your way is best.

Building a great product is admirable. Building a great business means knowing you’re not selling a product. You’re selling what the customer wants to buy.

Do you have a great technology that’s not yet a great business?

We partner with CEOs to diagnose their market’s true stage of awareness and build the right GTM strategy to achieve commercial success.

Not sure if you’ve got the awareness stage right for your technology? Let’s talk.