How To Get Your First 100 SaaS Customers with Asia Orangio
Feb 4, 2021
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Asia Orangio, a SaaS growth and marketing specialist and founder of Demand Maven, joins to share invaluable strategies for acquiring your first 100 customers. She breaks down the unique SaaS sales process and reveals common mistakes that new founders make. Asia explains how to convert free trial users into paying customers and highlights the importance of understanding customer journeys and targeted marketing. With practical insights and a focus on customer activation, her tips are a must for aspiring SaaS entrepreneurs!
Starting with thorough customer research helps identify buyer motivations and enhances the chances of converting leads into paying customers.
Understanding the unique SaaS sales process emphasizes the critical role of a compelling digital presence in attracting and retaining initial users.
Deep dives
The Importance of Customer Research
Starting with customer research is essential for understanding the motivations and needs of potential buyers. It involves asking targeted questions to uncover what led them to seek solutions and what their decision-making processes are. Engaging directly with customers helps identify who the ideal ones are, emphasizing the enjoyment of serving them. This research forms the foundation for creating products that genuinely meet customer expectations and increases the likelihood of conversion.
Understanding the SaaS Sales Process
The sales process in software, particularly SaaS, significantly differs from that of physical products and services. It typically relies on prospects exploring a digital presence, which makes the website a crucial first point of contact. This digital engagement influences how potential customers perceive the product and can dictate their subsequent actions. Thus, having an intuitive and compelling website is vital for attracting and converting users into paying customers.
Attracting Early Paying Customers
To attract initial paying customers, businesses can be categorized into two phases: those starting from zero and those with a few early users. For startups with no customers, taking a customer discovery route to understand the market landscape and validate the product's alignment to customer needs is crucial. Alternatively, businesses with a clearer sense of their product may directly engage potential customers to gauge interest. This tailored approach ensures a solid foundation for scaling customer acquisition efforts.
The Growth Roadmapping Process
Implementing a growth roadmapping strategy allows founders to prioritize their efforts effectively amidst overwhelming options. This structured process aids in defining clear market strategies and aligning marketing activities with business goals. It ensures that the initiatives chosen are realistic and capable of achieving measurable results, avoiding the pitfall of chasing shiny objects. By focusing on core objectives and actionable steps, businesses become more adept at reaching their first hundred customers and sustaining growth.
It has never been easier to start a software business. But getting your first paying customers? That part is still really, really hard. Asian Orangio joins Katelyn Bourgoin on this episode of Customer Show podcast to share her step-by-step strategy for getting your first 100 customers.
In this episode, Asia and Katelyn cover:
Why The SaaS Sales Process Is Unique
How To Get Free Trial Users To Pull Out Their Credit Card And Pay You
The #1 Mistake First-Time SaaS Founders Make
And So Much More
Asia Orangio is the founder of Demand Maven and is a SaaS Growth and Marketing Specialist.