국내 스타트업의 글로벌 진출이 화두입니다. 벤처스퀘어는 비욘드 시큐리티(Beyond Security)의 창업자이자 CEO로서 이스라엘 멘토로 구성된 한국 최초의 시드 펀드인 코이스라 시드 파트너스(KOISRA Seed Partners)의 이사인 아비람 제닉(Aviram Jenik)이 글로벌을 지향하는 한국 스타트업에게 전하는 칼럼을 연재한다. 국내 스타트업의 글로벌 진출에 도움이 되길 바라며, 기사 게재를 허락해 주신 아비람 제닉에게 지면을 통해 감사 말씀 전한다. 칼럼 전체 내용은 여기를 참고바란다.
그런데 사실 어느 정도 선까지는 이 신호가 실존하는 어떤 특징을 보여주는 건지. 아니면 그 특징이 신호에 의한 결과물인지를 알기 힘듭니다. 포르쉐는 품질이 좋아서 비싼 걸까요? 아니면 비싸기 때문에 소비자들이 포르쉐를 사는 걸까요 (차량의 품질과 관계 없이 말이죠)? 가격만 올려서 비싸게 판다고 ‘프리미엄 자동차’라는 신호를 (소비자에게) 보낼 수 있는 걸까요? 정답은 그럴 수도 있고 아닐 수도 있습니다. 기아(Kia)가 이런 시도를 했지만 결국 프리미엄 가격으로 프리미엄 자동차를 판매할 수 있도록 소비자들을 설득하진 못했습니다. 일본의 자동차 회사들은 렉서스나 인피니트와 같은 새로운 브랜드를 만들어내면서 프리미엄화에 성공했습니다. 신호라는 건 쉽게 따라 만들어 내기 힘듭니다.
Sending the wrong signals
Economists have an interesting concept called “signals” which is also used in psychology and in the combined field of psychology and economics called “behavioral economics”.
The idea behind signals is that many times we need to make a decision but we don’t have enough information to make one. We therefore rely on “signals”. When a man sees a woman in a bar, he wants to know if she is single, if she came to the bar to meet other people, if she’s not there just because she’s a waitress, if she is looking for a date, etc. The way the woman dresses, the way she is sitting, who she is sitting with and how she looks back at the man are all “signals” that can be used to determine the right course of action.
In marketing, Porsche sells a car for 2 or 3 times the price of a similar car by other manufacturers. A car buyer may not have the time or expertise to analyze all of the Porsche capabilities compared to a Toyota; but the price sends a strong signal: Porsche believes their car is so much better than Toyota that they are willing to give up on all those who cannot afford such an expensive car. The experts that can afford to pay the amount Porsche is asking will obviously choose Porsche over Toyota, otherwise Porsche would be out of business. Our car shopper can now use this signal to quickly make a decision.
At a certain point, it’s hard to know if the signal comes to show a real attribute or if the attribute is a result of the signal; is Porsche expensive because it’s so good? Or do people buy it because it’s expensive (regardless of quality)?
For example, can any car manufacturer just increase the price to send a ‘premium car’ signal? Yes and no. Kia has tried this but could not convince customers to buy their premium cars for premium prices. But the Japanese car manufacturers were able to do this by inventing a new brand (Lexus, Infinity) that has became a premium brand at premium prices. So signals are not that easy to copy.
What about fake signals? The Americans say “Fake it until you make it”. A more formal way to say it is that some things we do are “a self fulfilling prophecy”. For startups, this often means pretending to be a large company until you become one. This is done by sending all the signals a large company would send, and have the customers trust you because they think you are big and stable. Then, you grow and become big and stable and thus the ‘prophecy’ is fulfilled. At least – that’s the theory. But fake signals have inherent dangers; if you make it look like your company is large, that may impress a potential customer but will be a turn off to potential investors who like to get in early. Also, that same customer who was impressed when he thought your company was big, will be disappointed when they find out they cannot get the support they expected.
If the CEO of the company also answers support emails, that may look as though you’re a 2 person company but it will also give customers the confidence that their requests are handled at the highest level possible. Also, what would happen when the fake signal is exposed? You will not only lose credibility but also cause people to doubt other things you’ve told them. When a startup tells me the product is ready but I later find out only the powerpoint presentation is ready, I doubt everything else I was told – not a good position for the startup to be in.
So what is my advice with signaling? I think startups should send some fake signals, but not too many. Choose the fake signals you want to send and know why you are doing it. Resist the temptation for all other signals. On some things, you need to “fake it” – that’s the shortcut to beat the other players. But in other things, just be honest. Beware of the false signals.
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글: 아비람 제닉 (Aviram Jenik)
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