# S2E02 Soliciting Negative Feedback, Understanding The Problem, & Building Sales Success | Ryan Frederick

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2021-01-15
- Length: 43m
- Episode: 2
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/understanding-the-problem/

## Summary

Ryan Frederick, founder of the digital product consulting firm AWH and author of 'The Founder’s Manual' and 'Sell Naked', explains that successful product development requires understanding the problem at an expert level, better than the users themselves. He advocates for soliciting negative feedback during validation to avoid false positives and emphasizes that sales success is built on long-term relationships rather than volume. Frederick also contrasts the constrained nature of hardware prototyping with the iterative flexibility of software, noting that while low-code tools can create prototypes, they rarely result in scalable, defensible products.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=0) Introduction: Ryan Frederick and AWH
- [2:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=151) The Entrepreneurial Journey and AWH's Role
- [6:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=411) Understanding the Problem at an Expert Level
- [14:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=896) Soliciting Negative Feedback and Validation
- [20:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=1232) Building Sales Through Relationships
- [27:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=1667) Hardware vs. Software Development Constraints
- [32:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=1930) Software Costs and Low-Code Limitations
- [37:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-01-15-s2e02-soliciting-negative-feedback-understanding-the-problem-building-sales-succ#t=2228) Writing 'The Founder’s Manual' and 'Sell Naked'

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- AWH (company)
- The Founder’s Manual (other)
- Sell Naked (other)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- testfixturedesign.com (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [056: Mistakes, Opportunities, & Feedback for a New Product](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-10-21-056-mistakes-opportunities-feedback-for-a-new-product) (Product Startup)
- [Interview with Eric Ries - Transorted Testing Tachydidaxy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-08-21-interview-with-eric-ries-transorted-testing-tachydidaxy) (The Amp Hour)
- [Embracing a Consumer-Centric Approach to Product Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-06-08-embracing-a-consumer-centric-approach-to-product-development) (Over the Air)
- [010: I have an idea, now what? Developing, testing & prototyping physical products.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-06-14-010-i-have-an-idea-now-what-developing-testing-prototyping-physical-products) (Product Startup)
- [077: Using Prospective Customers to Develop a Product](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-05-26-077-using-prospective-customers-to-develop-a-product) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

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