Some tech-based companies get wrapped up in engineering. Engineering is great, and in order for a tech-based startup to be successful in the long term, the core engineering team must be excellent because the technology has to work properly - there’s no way around that.
But in the short-term, and I mean even before your prototype is done, go sell the product. Go talk to customers. Tell them what you’re building and ask them if it’s something they would want to buy. Talk about the price you’ve decided on. Talk about the features it has, and others you’ve thought about adding. Ask them what they would want to see. Talk to them about the pain they have.
If the interest is there and pre-sales are being made, you’ve got a product to work with that can go somewhere. If not, go back to the drawing board. In a market like this (and honestly, in any market imho), you should have revenue early and often.
What do you think? Feel free to add a comment below.
Not Sure What to Do Next in Your Startup? Go Sell Your Product!
2 responses so far ↓
1 David Morey // Oct 23, 2008 at 9:04 pm
The best way to pre-sell your product is to use the proven principles of the “Underdog Advantage.”
The parallels between a political campaign and marketing campaign are obvious – understanding voter perceptions and attitudes, understanding issues that will move those voters to vote your way, competing for control of the campaign dialogue and going for the eventual win. As with politics, in business today you have less time to analyze, decide, act and react – every day is your election day.
Here are ten lessons for executives to pay close attention to from Campaign ’08:
Believe in Change
It’s White House or Out House
What Can Be Known Will Be Known
Control the Dialogue
Play Offense
Define the Stakes in the Election
Discipline Wins
Speed Wins
Everything Communicates
Win Every Day
2 An Interview with Mark Fletcher, Founder of Bloglines and ONEList — TechDrawl // Jul 10, 2009 at 4:56 pm
[...] on faith for years at a time. Employ customer development. Iterate your product until you get bankable feedback on a viable product. Remember, if your startup is not connected with a market need, it is an art [...]
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