375: Anvil: From Zero Sales Skills to 7-Figure ARR SaaS - with Mang-Git Ng
Nov 16, 2023
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Mang-Git Ng, co-founder and CEO of Anvil, shares their journey of building an automation platform for online workflows. They discuss struggles in selling to wrong customers, finding ideal customer profile, cold emailing, referrals, SEO, and content marketing. Anvil automates paperwork for product and development teams. They talk about challenges of identifying good customers, leveraging LinkedIn for brand awareness and leads, power of personal stories in content, exploring licensing using blockchain, and wrap up the conversation with casual talk and information on Anvil.
Narrowing down the ideal customer profile and niching down helped Anvil find product-market fit and attract high-value customers.
Attending industry-specific tech events allowed Anvil to build relationships with the right decision-makers and understand customer pain points.
Deep dives
The Birth of Anvil: Solving the Pain of Paperwork
In this podcast episode, Mangit, the co-founder and CEO of Anvil, shares the story of how the idea for Anvil came about. While going through a frustrating mortgage application process, Mangit realized the potential of using online forms to solve paperwork challenges faced by businesses across various industries. He and his co-founder, Ben, conducted extensive interviews to validate the problem before building their initial product. However, they made the mistake of trying to sell to anyone and everyone, and attracted the wrong early customers who were demanding and distracted the team. Over time, they found product-market fit by niching down and identifying their ideal customer profile. They also discuss how they overcame their lack of sales experience and the importance of referrals and SEO-driven content marketing for their growth.
Building Relationships through In-Person Events
Anvil discovered the power of in-person events to connect with potential customers. By attending industry-specific tech events and engaging with people at the booths, they were able to build relationships with the right decision-makers in organizations that had technical DNA. They targeted industries such as real estate and insurance technology and used these events as an opportunity to understand customer pain points and position Anvil as a solutions provider. While the sales process may be longer, it allows for relationship building and eventually leads to high-value customers.
The Power of Organic LinkedIn Engagement
Anvil has found success with organic LinkedIn engagement. By posting frequently and sharing content that is not just about the business but also tangentially related, they have been able to drive engagement and build awareness. Sharing personal stories and experiences, even outside of the business context, adds a human element and makes the company more relatable. They have also leveraged LinkedIn to raise awareness and generate leads organically, as well as exploring the potential of LinkedIn advertising for future growth.
Learning to Sell and Overcoming Founder Challenges
As a founder, Mangit initially struggled with selling but learned through repetition and guidance. He emphasizes the importance of getting over oneself and becoming more comfortable with the sales process. Working with a sales mentor and hiring experienced salespeople also contributed to his learning and growth. Recognizing that selling is about helping customers solve their problems and building trust, Mangit values the ability to understand the product and provide value while being open about the product's limitations. Grit and perseverance are crucial attributes for founders navigating the challenges of building a startup.
Mang-Git Ng is the co-founder and CEO of Anvil, an automation platform that helps businesses build simple online workflows for cumbersome paperwork processes.
