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Most vendors of enterprise social software have sales pitches that are basically BS. Based on my experience, I explain what is going through the vendors' heads, and then I go through what you're supposed to do if you want to build an actually profitable company. Presented at EnterpriseCamp, Toronto, May 29, 2007.
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If you build it… they won’t come
Achieving Adoption
2Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come
Pitch
The community will “just happen”.
3Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come
Vendor belief
Sell the customer, then
abandon the customer.
4Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come
Vendor belief
Renewals happen automagically
aka “Free money!”
5Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come
Truth
Nobody $%!#ing cares about you.
6Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come
Truth
Customers keep paying only for what they use.
7Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come.
HomerunAdd value or move on.
•Painkillers, not vitamins.•Low hanging fruit.•Committed founder
8Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come
HomerunVisible pulse
•Show others (like me) using it•1:1 mentoring, buddy system•Day-glo orange invite button
9Sunir Shah, [email protected]
If you build it, they will come
Homerun
Don’t sell walled gardens.•Build along intersecting workflows.•Email is the still the killer app.•Open the interface
11Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Shiny!
Vendor belief
More shiny features = More buzz!
More features = More sales
12Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Shiny!
Truth
Early stageShininess attracts early
adopters* who help you refine your product.
* Your friends and their friends
13Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Shiny!Truth
You can’t sell on features alone.
(The feature treadmill is price war with escalating dev costs
=> Bankruptcy)
14Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Shiny!
Truth
Later stageReference customers* who actually use and love your business create traction.
* Your customers and their friends
15Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Shiny!Truth
Customers who buy on thewhole customer
experiencesee your value, and stick! =>
Success!
16Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Shiny!
Homerun
Create spectacles.•Shiny features for techies.•Awesome case studies for customers.•Compelling stories for media.
17Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Shiny!Homerun
Establish relationships.•Techies create an after market.•Customers evangelize you to their market.•Media amplify your voice in a market.
19Sunir Shah, [email protected]
I am not a number
Vendor belief
We have customer support!
outsourced automatedunskilledcheap
20Sunir Shah, [email protected]
I am not a number
Truth
Customers that complainare customers that care.
21Sunir Shah, [email protected]
I am not a numberHomerun
•Respond to them. Immediately.•Follow up to see if things went well.•Phone them. Proactively. Now.•Feedback everywhere. (e.g. logout)
22Sunir Shah, [email protected]
I am not a numberHomerun
•Blog, converse, involve, decide together.•Publish their feedback and act on it.•Solicit user studies. Fix breakdowns.•Customer advisory board.
23Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Our customers love us
Pitch
Our customers love us.We have great testimonials!
24Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Our customers love us
Vendor belief
Customer testimonials are just marketing collateral.
(Look how awesome I am!)
25Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Our customers love us
Truth
Customers love referring you because
it makes them look smart.
27Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Our customers love us
Homerun•Encourage testimonials…
•Ask for them!•Thank your customers! Profusely!•Don’t correct them!
28Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Our customers love us
Homerun•… as the start of a strong relationship
•Your customers are people too.•Tell your customers’ stories.•Bring your customers together.•Help them, unexpectedly.
29Sunir Shah, [email protected]
We are all cogs in a machine
Homerun•Add value outside your main business.
•Add partners where you can’t add value.
•Have a cause. (Pick an enemy.)
•You + customers make the world better, how?
30Sunir Shah, [email protected]
Summary
•Commit.•Painkillers, not vitamins.•Visible pulse.•Invest in spectacular relationships.•Have a cause. Improve the world.