Building Software Through Idea Extraction

[tafy]

Wow 6 weeks is so fast, good luck man

 

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[Tiago]

Wow 6 weeks is so fast, good luck man

Yeah it's not nearly as robust as yours though. I've cut out many features and simplified the software quite a lot.

It's not how I want the final version to be. But I'd rather launch it quickly and get real users testing it and listening to the feedback, and then build on that.

Plus, I'm working with an awesome developer. It was a real challenge finding one, but we work great together. He really cares about user experience.

 

[tafy]

That's cool man, have you already designed the screens or is the developer going to make the prototype first?

 

[Tiago]

I designed all my mockups on mockingbird.com and have been showing them to clients. The developer is building based on those mockups.

 

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[Tiago]

I'm thinking about a new approach to get clients and would love if any of you could give your opinion.

My current approach is this:

1. Add person on LinkedIn with message "Hey my name is xxx I'm building this tool that helps you xxx. Would you like to see it? I'm not selling anything nor do I have a product ready, I would just love your opinion"
2. Once they accept, send message with "These are the benefits you'll get etc etc, can I send you the mockup?"
3. If they say yes, send over mockup "This is the mockup, once you've finished seeing it, could I ask you some questions?"
4. If they say yes, I'll try to schedule an interview to do some customer development.

This method doesn't allow me to get their email address to build a mailing list, and the client has to say YES four times. Many times it fails on the 3rd step already.

1. Add person on LinkedIn with message "Hey my name is xxx I'm building a blog for your niche with how to sell better to your audience, how to improve communication with your clients, systems to save time etc, would you like to see it?"
2. Send them the blog link and say if they are interested in receiving more posts, to sign up for the newsletter.
3. If they subscribe, send them over an email trying to show my product and do more customer development.

Here I'm delivering value upfront. The first approach I'm asking something from them, which is their time. Once I have a finished product, those blog subscribers will be much more willing to convert to trials and then paid users for my software than cold prospects. Also, they only have to say 1 yes, which is accepting the LinkedIn invitation.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

 

[tafy]

You really need to read "the ultimate sales machine"the second one is the best choice of the two.

Aim to educate your target market and they will want to reciprocate, one of the principles of influence.

Also you may want to look up some videos on Robert cialdini

 

[Tiago]

Just bought it! Thank you.

 

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[Tiago]

My "how do you define success" email completely bombed. I got only one reply out of it. A bit frustrating. Well, some things work some don't.

I've been trying the new approach of contacting clients and gotten much better results! People are being really drawn to the blog and received quite a few emails already telling me that's exactly what they were looking for.

One of the hardest things for me to do right now is know what to focus on. How do you guys handle this when it happens to you?

There will have to be some changes on the software. There were a few things that some clients pointed out while interviewing them. That will delay launch a little bit.

 

[tafy]

They will always have things they got to have in the software, even worse when you make an existing product that they use already.

 

[Tiago]

They will always have things they got to have in the software, even worse when you make an existing product that they use already.

Yeah true but this specific feature has been asked by a ton of clients. Looking into it it really is essential to them.

Usually when people ask for a new feature, my first reaction is "no". Only if it keeps knocking on my door every day then I will take a look at it. Want to keep the software simple to use and which solves 90% of their problems.

 

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[Tiago]

In a couple of weeks I'm going to a huge convention in São Paulo. I'm going there with the intent to see what competitors are doing and to distribute flyers to get them to my blog and hopefully convert into clients.

I don't know if this will have a positive ROI, but I'll never know if I don't try.

 

[Tiago]

Well, I called the organization and they said it's strictly forbidden to distribute flyers.

So I could go only to watch the competition. But I'd rather spend those 3-4 days actually building something than watching them.

 

[tafy]

Should have gone, talked to a bunch of people.

 

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[Tiago]

The convention didn't happen yet, it's in a couple of weeks. I'm still thinking about this.

Pros:
- Know what the competition is doing
- Get to meet clients
- Understand how these conventions work as sometime in the near future I might get a booth
- Get out of the grind for a couple of days and come back with a clear head

Cons:
- Time I could've spent building the software or writing content
- A little expensive
- Could contact more clients than through cold emailing (although I can still do this when I come back from the convention)

 

[tafy]

Cons doesn't sound convincing to me, you should also talk to your competition as you call it. Tell them who you are and what your doing. Ask them to some advice

 

[Tiago]

Keep momentum.
​

Things are moving along! Every day pushing a little forward is paying off.

What happened:

• Today I finally signed the deal for the location. Sunday we're shooting the videos.

• Signed the deal with the video agency.

• Wrote a new blog post. Currently have 3 published.

• After doing the wireframes, now hired a designer to do last touch-ups in the landing page. It's going to look really professional and miles better than any other competitor out there.

• Reached 200 subscribers! I keep getting comments on how awesome the content is and that nobody out there is doing anything remotely like it.

• Software development is closer and closer to launch. Next week we probably have all the core functions ready and can start touching up on the design.

I'm starting to run out of people to contact on LinkedIn. I'll have to figure out a new strategy to reach clients, but I already have something in mind. The video shoot has been taking up all my time, once that is done, I will test my new customer acquisition strategy.

Last week I was at the beach with a couple of friends and had to do some work while there. They couldn't believe I would work on a Sunday, was I mad?! But I guess people don't understand that once you're truly committed to a project that you actually care about, work is fun. I love working on my project. I go to bed completely exhausted, but with a smile on my face. I know a lot of people here can relate to that

 

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[Tiago]

Just came back from the video shooting. We shot for 8 hours, it was really exhausting but at the end we got what we wanted. The videos are very high quality and the desired number of videos was reached.

Also bought plane tickets to the convention. Since distributing flyers is prohibited there, I will create "business cards" that will act as a flyer. They will have my software and the blog, one on each side. Won't spend too much time in this because I think business cards are worthless, but if I get only 1 client from the whole convention, it will cover my costs.

 

[Tiago]

Introducing a habit in my life.

Every night before heading to bed, I'll write out the single most important task I have to do the next day. Once I wake up, that will be the first thing I do. Before checking emails, before getting bombarded with all that noise.

Usually those are the tasks that require the most energy and mental clarity. I think it will be wise to do them as early as possible in the day.

I'll do it for 30 days and see if my productivity increases. Will post the results here.

 

[Tiago]

Came back from the fair yesterday. It was really good, and I'm glad I went. Thank you @tafy for the nudge.

While the fair wasn't specifically targeted at my niche, I got 50 contacts out of it. They all seemed really interested about the idea and about my blog so today I sent emails to all of them. The feedback has been very good.

I also met quite a few authorities in my niche I had previously emailed and made a stronger connection with them. Now whenever I publish a new blog post or want to change the software, I have a few people with experience I can reach out to.

Learned about a new direct competitor. They are in their early beginnings and I have to study a bit more what they are doing. If I didn't go to the fair maybe I would've learnt about them too late in the game.

So all in all, it was worth it. Got to learn more about the industry, made quite a few contacts, learnt a lot.

Right now I'm focused on a few things:

• Getting the video editing done. Talked to the video producer because they were waiting for my feedback and gave the green light.

• Finishing the landing page design. My designer is a bit slow, but he said that tonight he has something to show me. If his designs aren't up to my standards, I'll look for another one.

• Launching soon. My developer said that in 2 weeks we have a working software. He's developing some automated tests to reduce initial bugs and could then start to polish the design on the software.

• Publishing another post. We're reaching 300 subscribers this week probably, and I expect to convert quite a few of those to trial users and paying customers.

I'm at a crossroads though.

The software is going to need to work as a mobile app eventually. It's a must.

Right now I'm developing a responsive design, which means you can access it through your mobile web navigator and it will scale down to your screen and have a pretty similar design as an app would. It will be a bit slower and a bit buggier, but for the first launch I think it's OK.

The problem is, it will be very difficult to educate people on that. People don't care about your product, they care about you solving their problems.

My problem now is, should I:

A) Start the app development for Android and Apple as soon as possible. This would be riskier and more expensive, as my software will very probably not launch with market fit. But also much faster, and since I have competitors coming, speed might be key here.

B) Launch the software with responsive design, and iterate fast on first feedback. The product market fit version will definitely be much different than the launched version. This is both safer and cheaper, but at the expense of being much slower. 3 months at least of tweaking after launching and then another 3 months of developing the mobile app versions.

I'm not sure which route to go.

 

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[Weaponize]

Came back from the fair yesterday. It was really good, and I'm glad I went. Thank you @tafy for the nudge.

We're reaching 300 subscribers this week

Great hustle!

 

[MTF]

There's nothing to think about. Do this:

Launch the software with responsive design, and iterate fast on first feedback

Before the launch, your only job is to get it running as soon as possible. Don't invest unnecessary money while you're not sure about the business yet.

 

[Imgal]

There's nothing to think about. Do this:



Before the launch, your only job is to get it running as soon as possible. Don't invest unnecessary money while you're not sure about the business yet.

Totally agree with @MTF. Until you know that you've validated that people want what you are offering and will pay for it then especially app wise I'd always go for a MVP.

 

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[Tiago]

There's nothing to think about. Do this:

Before the launch, your only job is to get it running as soon as possible. Don't invest unnecessary money while you're not sure about the business yet.

But on the other hand, I definitely know there is a need for this. There are lots of similar softwares I could base myself off in the US. This would greatly diminish costs. It would also speed up my revenue and get a good headstart on competing softwares which are already popping up.

 

[Tiago]

Totally agree with @MTF. Until you know that you've validated that people want what you are offering and will pay for it then especially app wise I'd always go for a MVP.

Hey @Imgal, thank you for posting here. See my reply to @MTF, would you still go for an MVP?

 

[tafy]

Seems like you should have gone mobile app first, then make the desktop client after? But a responsive version can fit both perfectly. Html5 is pretty damm good and will serve you ok till a native app.

 

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[Tiago]

The desktop version is very important to my client, and the mobile version to the user. So I would've needed both anyways.

I'm going to have a talk with my developer how much time and money he thinks developing an Apple and Android version is going to cost.

I will also get some mockups going and then talk with a few developing agencies and individual developers to get some quotes.

Speed is quite important to me because there are a few competitors popping up already, and the sooner I can get an edge the better.

 

[Tiago]

Quick update:

• My designer dropped out due to health issues. He has been having some trouble lately and decided he wouldn't be able to finish the job. I'm sad that the design didn't work out but I fully understand that his health is a priority.

• Found a new designer through recommendation of the previous one, and he should have the landing page ready by next Wednesday. We got along really well and I loved his portfolio.

• Videos are back from editing! They are awesome

• Created my customer onboarding flow and all the event-triggered emails to ensure the best trial to paid customer experience.

• I will soon be starting a private beta and created an email to send out to my subscribers. I'll run a competition and the 10 people who get the most referrals to my landing page will have exclusive early access and 3 months free to use the software. This will help select the best beta testers, the ones that are engaged and truly care about the software, and create more awareness.

• Made an amazing connection today. My girlfriend introduced us, he teaches business strategy at the university and does consulting for startups and rising companies. He's worked with Pepsi and other big brands. Really down to earth guy, gave me a lot of new angles to tackle my problems and as he believed in my idea, said that any time I have a question or doubt, just call him. Now I'm thinking of ways of giving back tom him since he's given me so much.

I will in the 11th of October be making a two week trip to the Amazon. I know it sounds weird as I'm close to launching, but my girlfriend really wanted to go on a trip and I said "Look, once I launch it I'm going to be 100% dedicated to it. I can't just stay missing for a weekend or so. If we want to travel, let's do it now." I'm really excited for it and hope I will come back with a clear mind and ready for action.

 

[tafy]

Yes do it now, buys you some time with the gf before you get busy

 

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[Tiago]

Good news

The landing page is done and it looks really good. Tweaked some things back and forth with the designer and I'm happy with the end results, looks very professional.

Launched a new blog post.

Terrible news

My developer is dropping out... We worked so well together, but it's too much for him to handle right now. He is working full-time while doing a masters degree, and is not able to add freelancing for me into this mix.

As he's seen how much I am invested in this, he doesn't want to do a half-assed job, which I respect.

He's not going to charge for the last 2 weeks of development and is going to help when other developers come in to give assistance in the beginning until they fully understand the software structure.

This sucks, as we were really close to launching and now I will have to delay it. When I read his email I couldn't believe my eyes...

But that's being an entrepreneur. Things never go as expected and the difference is how you react to it.

My plan of change

My focus has changed in the last few days. My number one goal is:

Reach product/market fit.

That's all that matters in the moment. To those that might not know what it is, it's delivering the exact product the market wants. 90% of SaaS fail because they don't hit product/market fit.

How am I going to do that?

More often than not, people say "Don't reinvent the wheel... Just make it better" and I will follow that advice. There are two SaaS companies in the US that have the same model as me and they are successful.

I'm going to copy 80% of their best features, the ones the users love the most, and add 20% of my own touch to differentiate myself from the market.

Customer Development

I don't know why, but I've stopped doing customer development. I thought I knew everything there is to know about my customers, and turns out I was wrong.

I will not make that mistake again. I'm going to reschedule customer interviews and test out assumptions, get to know their biggest problems, learn their language to use in my marketing copy, build up ideal customer personas and grow stronger relationships with my customers.

Top priorities

• Find a developer again.
• Start mobile development. I know it's risky since I haven't launched my product yet but I want to speed things up because there is real demand for this.

 

[Weaponize]

My focus has changed in the last few days. My number one goal is: Reach product/market fit.

Golden...

I don't know why, but I've stopped doing customer development. I thought I knew everything there is to know about my customers, and turns out I was wrong.

I can't recall where I was reading this, but a successful business person was talking about how customer development, must like software, is never actually "done". Just like software and it's need to always grow, change and evolve... so does customer development. Makes sense.

Lovin' the grind!