FundMetric uses analytics and predictive modelling to help determine the who, what, when, where, why, and how of donors and their relationship to not-for-profits and charities.

The process of introducing new technologies to existing markets takes time to develop. Introducing innovation too early; to the wrong customers; solving the wrong problems can kill most startups.

But Fundmetric is different than most startups. They’re well beyond that stage and have become a thriving business.

Even by solving the right problems, for the right customers, and at the right time - there are challenges. Part of being a great business means creating great customers. How do you define a great customer?

Fundmetric deeply cares about how well their customers achieve their best outcomes, and how their customers transform as a result. True innovation is about designing customers - not features. You can develop new features and services all you want, but if they don’t get used, then they have negative value.

The challenge is: how do you make sure your customer’s users actually know how to use the features that will help them get to their best outcome? We’ve found that you can’t merely teach them what to do. You must teach them how to think.

An example outside of Fundmetric is how the computer interface was born. Steve Jobs had seen that Xerox was using graphical interfaces for the first time in printers. He knew how to think to use the same technology for printers to make the complex computer systems at the time more user-friendly for the average consumer.

Likewise with your users: do you want to teach them what something does? (showing them the screen technology on a printer), or do you want to teach them how to think? (challenging them to think of deeper concepts for their own business, and bigger uses for the technology to change the way the world works). If you were selling screen components, which approach would help you get more sales?

A better customer is one that thinks differently. To create them, you must ask your own organization and people to do the same. This is part of an ongoing project and relationship we have with Fundmetric. We’ve began the Culture Transformation journey and can’t wait to share more details. Stay tuned for more updates!