One weird old tip for growth — from Dave Zohrob (Venture Hacker @ AngelList). Presented at Etohum's Master in Growth, 12 Dec 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey.

1. One Weird Old Tip
For Growth
angel.co/dave
@dzohrob
Dave Zohrob
AngelList

2. WHAT IF…

3. ONE WEIRD OLD TIP.

4. Storytime

6. (PAUSE)

8. YOU YOUR
AUDIENCE

9. ONE WEIRD OLD TIP.

10. Empathy is the key
to growth.

11. Empathy requires
understanding
people.

12. YOU YOUR
AUDIENCE
EMPATHY GAP

13. Understanding people
leads to
empathy
leads to
influence
leads to
growth.

14. Understanding people
leads to
empathy
leads to
influence
leads to
growth.

16. World wide web
Google
Facebook
Twitter
iPhone
App store
iPad
1989
1998
2004
2006
2007
2008
2010

17. Products change, but
people don’t change.

18. People have been around
for a long time.

19. Learn from the masters

20. People don’t change.
In fact, they’re
predictable.

22. Because people don’t change,
we must change our
products.

23. Understanding people
leads to
empathy
leads to
influence
leads to
growth.

24. “If there is any one secret of
success, it lies in the ability to
get the other person's point of
view and see things from that
person's angle as well as from
your own.”
Henry Ford

25. Look at your product
and growth strategies
through the lens of
empathy.

26. Start with your pitch.

27. “People don’t want to buy
a quarter-inch drill, they
want a quarter-inch hole.”
Theodore Levitt

28. No one wants to sign up for
your website.
They want their
problem solved.

29. Good pitch

30. Let’s look at
lifecycle emails
with empathy.

31. Lifecycle emails should
help users.

32. Bad example

33. Good example

34. A real-world example:
AngelList Talent
Landing Page

35. What does the user want?
To find a startup job.

36. Before

37. • “Show, don’t tell”
• Dead-end clicks
• Little explanation

38. After

39. • Single CTA — “Find a job”
• Fewer clickable elements
• More explanation
• Forced signup

40. Look at your product
and growth strategies
through the lens of
empathy.

41. All growth strategies
should help the user
achieve their goals.

42. Empathy is the building
block for influence.

43. Understanding people
leads to
empathy
leads to
influence
leads to
growth.

44. “When dealing with people,
remember you are not dealing
with creatures of logic, but
with creatures bristling with
prejudice and motivated by
pride and vanity.”
Dale Carnegie

45. People don’t change.
Use that to your advantage.

46. Learn
from the
masters

47. 6 Types of Influence
Reciprocation
Commitment &
Consistency
Social Proof
Liking
Authority
Scarcity

48. Use as many types of
influence as possible.
(Bonus points for all 6)

49. Reciprocation

50. Commitment & Consistency

51. Commitment & Consistency

52. Social Proof

53. Liking

54. Authority

55. Scarcity

56. Example: AngelList

57. Example: Humble Bundle

58. Empathy is the building block
for the six types of influence.

59. Use as many types of
influence as possible.
(Bonus points for all 6)

60. Conclusion

61. Look at
everything
through the lens of
empathy.

62. YOU YOUR
AUDIENCE
EMPATHY GAP

63. Understanding people
leads to
empathy
leads to
influence
leads to
growth.