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The Physics of Startups

Are they pulling? (aka: avoiding "seems-like-pull-but-isn't")

June 26 · 31 min · 30.1 MB
0:00-31:19

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In this episode, Rob explores one of the most costly mistakes founders make: confusing enthusiasm with PULL.

We explore why things customers say like "This would solve our biggest pain point" or "This would save us millions" often lead founders down dead ends. People with PULL try to buy.

People without PULL often sound interested, ask questions, and give positive feedback - but don't initiate purchase-shaped actions.

We cover in this episode:

  • The difference between enthusiasm and PULL
  • Why pain points, ROI, and positive feedback are often misleading
  • What "trying to buy" actually looks like
  • How to identify purchase-shaped actions
  • Why founders waste months chasing prospects who were never going to buy
  • How to "play dumb" to uncover what customers are really thinking

LinksPre-order The Power of PULL and get Rob's Claude skill: https://www.robsnyder.org/book

Rob's PULL course: https://robsnyder.org/course

Work with Rob: https://www.robsnyder.org

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/

Follow Rob's Substack: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/

Chapters

01:57 Why founders misread sales calls

04:46 The cost of false PULL

08:33 What PULL actually is

10:51 What trying to buy looks like

15:46 Common signals that aren't PULL

20:33 The danger of hypothetical next steps

25:20 Playing dumb to find the truth

29:36 Getting to ground truth