Film-style poster for the When Mentors Disagree presentation

A guide for founders A guide for founders

How to use advice you disagree with, and still own the decision.

EN DE ES FR IT NL PT TR

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

How we weigh advice

People lean on their own view

On average, advice moved people only about a quarter of the way.

0.27 Average weight people gave advice when revising their own estimate Yaniv, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2004

The reason behind it

Ask for the reason, not the verdict

Ask why they say it, and what would change their mind.

Why do you say that? The data or the story behind it.
What would change your mind? The condition where it flips.
Where have you seen this work? Their stage, market and year.

A cheap test

Turn the disagreement into a test

Write the belief, a cheap test and the result that counts as a pass.

Raise the price vs

Keep the price

We believeTeams pay more for annual billing TestOffer it to the next 20 sign-ups Pass if6 or more choose it

7 of 20Passed

Which evidence wins

Customers outrank opinions

Weigh customer and market data first, then experience, then opinion.

Opinion useful, not proof
Experience what a mentor saw happen
Customer data what buyers actually did

The decision log

Keep a decision log

Record the advice, your choice, why, and when you will look again.

Decision logKept in your hidden notes

Pricing Advice heardRaise it, says Dana. Keep it, says Marco. ChoiceTest annual billing WhyCustomers decide, not us Revisit when7 of 20 choose it

First hire Advice heardSales first, say two mentors ChoiceEngineer first WhyPilots need integrations Revisit whenRevisit at 10 customers

Saying no

Say no with the reason

Thank them, say what you chose and why, and when you would revisit.

Thanks, we weighed raising prices. We test annual billing first, and revisit if it fails.

Doing it on Mentornity

Keep the record on Mentornity

Your notes hold the log, and messages tell mentors what you decided.

Keep the log in hidden notes

Only you and the program admins can read a hidden note.

Tell mentors the outcome

Message each mentor what you chose and what happened.

Keep the log in hidden notes

Only you and the program admins can read a hidden note.

Meeting notesOrbital Labs · 3 founders

Visible noteEmailed to the participants at once Emailed

Agreed: test annual billing with the next 20 sign-ups.

pricing-test.pdfUp to 10 files

Hidden noteOnly you and the program admins

Tell mentors the outcome

Message each mentor what you chose and what happened.

1Keep the log in hidden notes

Meeting notesOrbital Labs · 3 founders

Visible noteEmailed to the participants at once Emailed

Agreed: test annual billing with the next 20 sign-ups.

pricing-test.pdfUp to 10 files

Hidden noteOnly you and the program admins

2Tell mentors the outcome

The decision is yours

Hear everyone, test what you can, and write down why you chose.

Sign in to Mentornity Read the guide

Sign in to Mentornity Sign in Read the guide