JDL
I am selling something that doesn’t FULLY exist yet. I tell them it is great for X, Y & Z reasons. They like the idea. See the need. How do I close this properly? IMPORTANT note: First sale only.
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How are you promising delivery on this product that doesnt yet exist? No one is going to throw money at anything unless theres a clear delivery date.
If its a good concept, high success chances and you have key deliverable dates on when the customer can start with the product, create a time line for them and give them a get out of jail card incase it goes sideways. Dont try scamming people basically.
If its a good concept, high success chances and you have key deliverable dates on when the customer can start with the product, create a time line for them and give them a get out of jail card incase it goes sideways. Dont try scamming people basically.
Exactly so. You close based on what you can deliver, when.
Thanks, this is what we’re doing now. We built a timeline and working with a couple design partners to get the product to maturity.
If you are confident you can deliver, offer a get out of the contract clause if you are struggling to close. Only seems fair if you arent actually ready to bring the product to the market.
Walk before you can run and all that.
Walk before you can run and all that.
This is making my PTSD flare up.
we need more info on what you mean by not "fully" existing yet.
you can sell a vision, thats fine, but you need to be 100% upfront on what is available today and what is coming down the road.
you can sell a vision, thats fine, but you need to be 100% upfront on what is available today and what is coming down the road.
Transparency is my middle name 👌
It's not gonna close
With that attitude we would definitely not.
Are you actually a CEO?
scratching my head here, also
Keep scratching old man 👴🏻
In debate club they call this argument ad hominem or else rhetorical nonsense. If you don’t want to contribute, fine 👋🏼
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with your statement that this argument is ad hominem or rhetorical nonsense. Such a statement is dismissive and lacks substance. Ad hominem arguments attack the character of the opponent rather than addressing the substance of their argument, whereas my statement directly addresses the validity of the argument itself.
Furthermore, calling an argument "rhetorical nonsense" without providing any evidence or logical reasoning to support your claim is itself a form of ad hominem attack. It implies that the argument is invalid simply because you don't agree with it or find it disagreeable.
Furthermore, calling an argument "rhetorical nonsense" without providing any evidence or logical reasoning to support your claim is itself a form of ad hominem attack. It implies that the argument is invalid simply because you don't agree with it or find it disagreeable.
But you still didn’t say anything 🥹
Damn right. You're arguing with ChatGPT.
Oh that guy. He’s FOS ;)
Are you doing this on purpose, as in your leadership team is selling the roadmap as a first-line strategy?
Yes, as we are bootstrapped and need the commitments.
Sell what is tangible today and you won’t see massive churn when customers realize their expectations were not or could not be met.
Pre-selling software that’s still in the oven, or in the raw ingredients, is a bold way to sell.
Pre-selling software that’s still in the oven, or in the raw ingredients, is a bold way to sell.
Totally agree. We don’t sell what we don’t have but we do use it to close the deals. We are looking to close 2-3 more development partners to work closely with us in the next 18 months.
Don’t sell promises you can’t keep. You need to be able to sell something you can deliver. Now if it doesn’t have all the features of it yet, fine. But if a customer pays for something you need to;
A) be able to give them what they paid for
B) provide a reasonable delivery/execution timeline and delivery date
A) be able to give them what they paid for
B) provide a reasonable delivery/execution timeline and delivery date
Thanks 🙏🏽
You’re the CEO of something which doesn’t exist yet?! Hmm.
Seems sketchy.
Seems sketchy.
Early Adopters in software is common. With the very limited info, a couple items I might suggest: 1) No payment until you are ready to install. 2) Fairly significant discounts. 3) Reduce their purchase risk with money back guarantee, if the product isn’t what they thought. 4) Communicate, communicate and yes, communicate more, on timelines, product development, etc.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Great input, will definitely keep the channels open 🔊
How can you think of selling something that don’t exist and don’t have any timeline? Though people would like this idea they would not spend $ and that’s what you need to run your business. All the best !
It’s called selling ahead. If it doesn’t work out with the product, then the company will be in for a bad time. If you are able to deliver, amazing results can be achieved. Just tell them what needs to be integrated and build that into the timeline.
why sell ahead of MVP? Is this a startup or just a new product? If it's a startup I'd be looking to bring on pilot customers for next to nothing. Their feedback will be invaluable for product market fit. Make an official agreement so they've already signed your paper and build in fee accelerators based on product deployment.
Thanks this is exactly how we’re going about it! Great feedback 💪
The only question I do have besides how are you selling something that does not exist is how do you convince them even to buy it, you must be a magician,haha!
You need to sell it as an idea, nothing else.
Take note of what you have, what you need. Find a partner that can help fill the blanks.
Full transparency to who the end user would be is the only way...and their commitments should be closer to sticking with you through the bugs than paying you for an idea.
If it works, you now have a product..potentially a case study....then hire a bad ass sales team
Take note of what you have, what you need. Find a partner that can help fill the blanks.
Full transparency to who the end user would be is the only way...and their commitments should be closer to sticking with you through the bugs than paying you for an idea.
If it works, you now have a product..potentially a case study....then hire a bad ass sales team
also...is AI in the name of this product?
There is nothing wrong with pre-selling as long as you're doing it the right way:
1. If you're at a smaller newer company, don't sell ahead more than 90 days because ANYTHING can change on the product roadmap in that time period and these type of companies are not skilled at accurately estimating delivery dates & then delivering flawlessly. Expect fuckery because there will be fuckery
2. Be clear about what exists today & what is coming soon - and then define soon down to the release date. Don't have this? THEN IT'S NOT REAL - go back to #1
3. Have a working prototype that you can actually click through to mimic the experience (Invision, Figma, etc.) This is the only proof point you will have to sell a thing that doesn't exist, so don't let the product team off the hook for this one
4. If your buyer moves forward, they're taking a risk and you both know it. How are you compensating them for taking on this risk? Whether it's a discount, free licenses, or something else beneficial, sealing the deal requires mutual give and take
1. If you're at a smaller newer company, don't sell ahead more than 90 days because ANYTHING can change on the product roadmap in that time period and these type of companies are not skilled at accurately estimating delivery dates & then delivering flawlessly. Expect fuckery because there will be fuckery
2. Be clear about what exists today & what is coming soon - and then define soon down to the release date. Don't have this? THEN IT'S NOT REAL - go back to #1
3. Have a working prototype that you can actually click through to mimic the experience (Invision, Figma, etc.) This is the only proof point you will have to sell a thing that doesn't exist, so don't let the product team off the hook for this one
4. If your buyer moves forward, they're taking a risk and you both know it. How are you compensating them for taking on this risk? Whether it's a discount, free licenses, or something else beneficial, sealing the deal requires mutual give and take
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