I could tell he was a little nervous as soon as the meeting began.

Something was… off.

In the beginning, he wouldn’t tell exactly what.

But just a few minutes later, I knew it:

He was facing what I call a slow and painful TVL death.

It happens when the initial momentum has been lost.

You know, when you launch and fail in the process…

Or what’s worse:

How do you avoid it?

When this happens, I run a simple checklist.

By doing so, it’s easy for me to understand exactly what’s going in.

What’s worse, usually the problem is not the team… or the project itself.

It’s the lack of guidance and clarity that may destroy you while you’re in the middle of the heat.

I dare you run through some of the questions I would usually ask to understand how bad the situation is.

If you say “no” to most of the questions below…

Well…

It might be bad.

In that case, recognizing the problem before it gets worse is the best thing to do.

Let’s start with the basics:

Your user’s believes:

- Do they know what you do and why you’re different?

- Have you made a written list of objections they might have and created content killing each?

- Have you made sure to explain why your solution is exactly what they are looking for?

Your closest competition:

- Do you keep written track of their main features, promises, proof points and messaging?

- Have you made a list of things you offer in a unique way nobody else has (your secret sauce)?

- Do you have a content calendar and keep track of your positioning?

Your offer (not the product)

- Do you offer any extras that make you special?

- Do you cover your offer with all sorts of risk reversal?

- Have you done smart token/NFT rewards to speed up the growth?

.

.

The above questions are the ones you should start with.

Nothing fancy.

It just allows you to make sure you’ve covered the basics.

Now the really important ones:

Your social media:

- Do you have a weekly schedule you do in advance for all communications?

- In this weekly plan, do you have valuable content so you can attract even more users?

- Do you track your social growth with a spreadsheet and have a weekly and monthly goal?

Social currency:

- Have you secured most of the influencers in your niche to shill about you?

- Do you do regular AMAs on different channels?

- Do you keep track of the influencer status, scheduled AMAs, TG and Discord groups and have an outreach schedule?

.

.

With the three checklists above, you should be covered to at least be constantly present in your user's minds.

Plus, it will allow you to push your narrative.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t guarantee your TVL will grow.

So check this out:

TVL growth plan.

- Do you have clear TVL goals for the next 30, 90 and 180 days?

- Have you assigned specific metrics for each team member to hit, so you can reach that TVL?

- Do you have an integration plan with a clear schedule?

- Do you have a pre-approved marketing plan to announce each integration?

Customer acquisition.

- Do you have a funnel that brings you prospects and customers day in and out?

- Do you keep track of numbers and have an acquisition plan?

- Do you know how much does it cost you to bring a new user and how much heat does he add?

Does this sound like a LOT?

If it is, here’s what you need to know:

You are probably busy, and you should.

That’s why making sure everybody is accountable for what they do and have a goal towards growth makes all the difference.

So, how well do you track growth and how much do you hold people accountable?

I’ll leave you with that question.

Look deep inside to answer.

<< Lesson #5 | Lesson #7 >>