I Interviewed 50+ People For My SaaS Startup | Startup Chat 011

Summary

En este startup chat número 11, el presentador comparte su experiencia en el desarrollo de clientes y la investigación de mercado. Durante dos semanas, entrevistó a más de 30 personas, aprendiendo de sus interacciones y discutiendo problemas y soluciones para su software. Se enfocó en la definición de problemas, la propuesta de soluciones y la definición del producto, destacando la importancia de la investigación de mercado y el enfoque en el contenido para generar conversaciones. A lo largo de las etapas, el creador se enfrentó a desafíos y aprendizajes valiosos, enfocándose en diferenciar su producto en un mercado competitivo y buscando crear una estrategia sólida para su lanzamiento.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ La importancia de la investigación de mercado y desarrollo de clientes en etapas tempranas de un negocio.
• 📈 Se llevó a cabo una investigación de mercado durante varios meses, con un aumento en volumen en las últimas dos semanas, hablando con más de 30 personas.
• 📩 Utilizó DMs de LinkedIn para acercamiento inicial, pero la mayoría de las entrevistas fueron generadas a través de contenido, lo que refleja la importancia del contenido para atraer a clientes.
• 🤔 Durante la primera etapa, el enfoque fue la definición del problema, buscando comprender las necesidades y problemas de los clientes sin una propuesta de producto específica.
• 💡 La segunda etapa consistió en la definición de soluciones, donde se presentó hipotéticamente soluciones a los problemas identificados y se recibió retroalimentación de los clientes.
• 🛠️ La tercera etapa es la definición del producto, enfocándose en las características y funcionalidades específicas que proporcionarán la solución a los problemas identificados.
• 🎯 Se enfatizó la distinción entre solución y producto, destacando la necesidad de no tener una visión troncal en el producto y considerar múltiples formas de abordar un problema.
• 💡 Se sugiere la importancia de la retroalimentación constructiva y el desafío de ideas durante las entrevistas de desarrollo de clientes.
• 💰 Se ofrecieron incentivos como tarjetas de regalo de Amazon para motivar a las personas a participar en entrevistas, lo que puede ser una estrategia para superar la barrera de la participación inicial.
• 🔄 Se menciona la necesidad de ajustar teorías y suposiciones basadas en datos durante el proceso de investigación de mercado.
• 🚀 El proceso de definición del producto está en curso, con una versión inicial planeada para lanzarse en cuatro semanas, lo que demuestra una aproximación iterativa y ágil al desarrollo.
• 📢 La necesidad de diferenciación en el mercado, especialmente cuando se entra en un mercado competitivo, y la importancia de encontrar un punto de venta distintivo.

Q & A

¿Qué es lo que el entrevistado está haciendo en el video número 11 de Startup Chat?

El entrevistado está compartiendo sus experiencias en el desarrollo de clientes y la investigación de mercado, explicando los procesos y las lecciones aprendidas tras hablar con más de 30 personas en solo dos semanas.

¿Cómo abordó inicialmente el entrevistado a las personas para realizar la investigación de mercado?

Inicialmente, utilizó mensajes directos (DM) en LinkedIn para realizar la investigación de mercado, pero admite que fue difícil conseguir respuestas positivas y que la mayoría de las entrevistas se generaron a través de contenido atractivo (inbound).

¿Por qué el entrevistado considera que la creación de contenido es valiosa según su experiencia en la investigación de mercado?

La creación de contenido resultó en una gran cantidad de entrevistas de entrada (inbound), lo que le permitió interactuar con personas que estaban interesadas en sus ideas y dispuestas a brindar retroalimentación, lo cual es una posición privilegiada para un empresario en desarrollo.

¿Cuál fue la primera etapa en el proceso de investigación de mercado según el entrevistado?

La primera etapa fue la definición del problema, donde el entrevistado buscaba identificar problemas específicos sin tener una propuesta de producto o solución definida, simplemente haciendo preguntas abiertas para entender las necesidades y desafíos de las personas.

¿Cómo describiría el entrevistado el proceso de definición de la solución durante la segunda etapa de su investigación de mercado?

Durante la segunda etapa, el entrevistado presentó sus teorías y soluciones hipotéticas a las personas entrevistadas, buscando retroalimentación sobre si sus ideas estaban en la dirección correcta y cómo las personas actualmente resolvían esos problemas.

¿Por qué el entrevistado incentivó a las personas a unirse a las llamadas con tarjetas de regalo de Amazon?

El entrevistado ofreció incentivos como tarjetas de regalo de Amazon para motivar a las personas a unirse a las llamadas, ya que esto les hacía sentir más dispuestos a colaborar y compartir su tiempo y conocimientos.

¿Qué aprendizajes valiosos se obtuvieron durante las conversaciones con fundadores y clientes potenciales durante la segunda etapa?

Se obtuvieron retroalimentaciones valiosas sobre si las soluciones propuestas eran relevantes y efectivas, y se identificó si los problemas considerados eran verdaderamente críticos o solo secundarios para los clientes potenciales.

¿En qué fase del proceso de investigación de mercado se encuentra el entrevistado al final del guion?

Al final del guion, el entrevistado se encuentra en la fase de definición del producto, donde está enfocado en presentar las características y capacidades específicas del producto que brinda la solución hipotética a los problemas identificados.

¿Qué desafíos ha enfrentado el entrevistado al tratar de diferenciar su producto en un mercado competitivo?

El entrevistado ha enfrentado el desafío de diferenciar su producto en un mercado donde los competidores tienen años de experiencia y recursos, lo que requiere creatividad para encontrar nichos no servidos o áreas de mejora y enfocarse en ellas.

¿Cómo planea el entrevistado abordar la pregunta '¿En qué estás diferente?' en el mercado?

El entrevistado está consultando con expertos y pensando creativa en el marketing para encontrar su posición única en el mercado, ya sea mejorando en un área específica o construyendo una marca y comunidad fuertes.

¿Cuál es el plazo estimado para el lanzamiento de la versión inicial del producto según el entrevistado?

La versión inicial del producto está prevista para ser completa en aproximadamente cuatro semanas, momento en el cual el entrevistado espera comenzar a obtener feedback de los usuarios.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Discusión de Desarrollo de Clientes

El primer párrafo aborda el proceso de investigación de mercado y desarrollo de clientes que el narrador ha estado realizando en las últimas semanas, hablando con más de 30 personas. Destaca la importancia de esta actividad y cómo el enfoque inicial fue a través de mensajes directos en LinkedIn, que resultaron poco efectivos. La mayoría de las entrevistas fueron generadas a través de contenido, lo que refleja una posición privilegiada y la disposición de las personas a proporcionar retroalimentación valiosa. Se menciona la importancia del contenido y cómo, a pesar de las dificultades para obtener respuestas positivas a través de mensajes directos, el contenido atrajo a personas interesadas en el trabajo del narrador.

05:01

🔎 Definición del Problema y la Investigación de Mercado

En el segundo párrafo, se profundiza en la metodología de investigación de mercado, que se dividió en tres etapas. La primera etapa, la definición del problema, comenzó hace varios meses y se centró en identificar problemas específicos en el mercado, sin una propuesta de producto o solución definida. El narrador buscaba comprender las actividades diarias de las personas, sus problemas urgentes y cómo abordaban estas situaciones. El objetivo era ordenar los problemas por importancia y prioridad, lo que proporcionaría un punto de partida claro para el negocio, ya que los negocios existir para resolver problemas.

10:02

🤔 Definición de la Solución y la Interacción con los Clientes

El tercer párrafo describe la segunda etapa de la investigación de mercado, la definición de la solución. A esta altura, el narrador tenía una idea más refinada de los problemas y comenzó a plantear soluciones hipotéticas a los entrevistados. Se enfatiza la importancia de la retroalimentación constructiva y cómo hablar con fundadores y clientes ideales ayudó a validar o invalidar las teorías y a ajustar la dirección del negocio. Se sugiere que algunas conversaciones no son útiles si no proporcionan retroalimentación crítica y que es fundamental escuchar y aprender de la perspectiva de otros.

15:04

🛠️ Definición del Producto y Desafíos del Mercado

El cuarto y último párrafo se enfoca en la definición del producto, la tercera etapa del proceso. Aquí, el narrador está trabajando en presentar características y capacidades específicas del producto que resuelvan los problemas identificados. Se discute la dificultad de diferenciarse en un mercado competitivo y la necesidad de encontrar un nicho o una solución que no esté siendo satisfecha por la competencia. El narrador está buscando expertos y enfocándose en la estrategia de marketing y la construcción de una comunidad y marca, aspectos que toman tiempo en desarrollarse. El párrafo concluye con la expectativa de la versión inicial del producto y la intención de recibir comentarios y conectarse con el público en un nivel más personal.

Keywords

💡Desarrollo de clientes

El 'desarrollo de clientes' se refiere a las actividades realizadas para entender mejor a los clientes potenciales y sus necesidades. En el video, el hablante menciona haber hablado con más de 30 personas en dos semanas para recopilar información valiosa, lo que es un aspecto clave del desarrollo de clientes.

💡Investigación de mercado

La 'investigación de mercado' es el proceso de recopilar información sobre los clientes, la competencia y el entorno general para tomar decisiones comerciales informadas. El video se centra en cómo el hablante ha utilizado la investigación de mercado para validar su negocio y sus ideas, utilizando tanto enlaces entrantes como salientes en LinkedIn.

💡Contenido

El 'contenido' en el contexto del video se refiere a la creación de material informativo o educativo que atrae a personas y genera interés en un tema o producto. El hablante destaca cómo el contenido ha sido una herramienta valiosa para generar conversaciones de investigación de mercado entrantes.

💡Definición del problema

La 'definición del problema' es una etapa crucial en el proceso de desarrollo de un negocio, donde se identifican y se priorizan las necesidades o problemas de los clientes. El hablante describe cómo, en la primera etapa, se centró en entender los problemas diarios de las personas sin tener una solución o producto específico en mente.

💡Hipótesis del cliente

La 'hipótesis del cliente' es una suposición inicial sobre quiénes son los clientes ideales y cuáles son sus características. El hablante menciona haber utilizado una lista de criterios para definir su hipótesis del cliente y luego ajustarla a través de la investigación de mercado.

💡Definición de la solución

La 'definición de la solución' ocurre después de haber identificado los problemas y consiste en idear posibles maneras de resolverlos. El hablante pasó a esta etapa después de haber recopilado suficiente información sobre los problemas y comenzó a presentar ideas de solución a las personas entrevistadas.

💡Fundadores

En el video, los 'fundadores' se mencionan como un grupo de personas con quienes el hablante conversó para obtener una perspectiva empresarial y validar su dirección. Los fundadores, que podrían estar un paso adelante en su propio negocio, proveen una visión valiosa para el hablante.

💡Clientes ideales

Los 'clientes ideales' son aquellos que mejor se alinean con la oferta de un negocio y son los que más probablemente comprarán o utilizarán el producto o servicio. El hablante se concentró en entender y hablar con estos clientes para validar y refinar su solución.

💡Estrategia de producto

La 'estrategia de producto' es el plan para desarrollar y lanzar un producto al mercado. El hablante está en la etapa de definir su estrategia de producto, lo que incluye las características y capacidades específicas del producto que ofrecerá como solución a los problemas identificados.

💡Diferenciación

La 'diferenciación' se refiere a cómo un producto o servicio se distingue de los de la competencia. El hablante discute la importancia de encontrar cómo su producto puede ser diferente y más atractivo en un mercado competitivo, lo que es un desafío en la etapa actual de su negocio.

💡Marca y comunidad

La 'marca' y la 'comunidad' son elementos que pueden ayudar a diferenciar un negocio y fomentar una conexión con los clientes. Aunque el hablante reconoce su importancia, también señala que no hay atajos para construirlas y que tomarán tiempo y esfuerzo.

Highlights

Conducted extensive customer development activities and market research by speaking with over 30 people in two weeks.

Initially struggled with outbound DMs on LinkedIn but found success with inbound leads generated through content creation.

Emphasized the importance of content creation as a means to attract potential customers and gather valuable feedback.

Outlined a three-stage approach to market research: problem definition, solution definition, and product definition.

Described the initial stage as identifying and understanding the day-to-day problems of potential customers.

Highlighted the importance of being open-minded during the problem definition phase to avoid premature solutions.

Offered incentives like Amazon gift cards to encourage participation in research calls.

Discussed the refinement of customer profiles and problem understanding during the solution definition phase.

Spoke with founders and target customers to validate business direction and gather insights on proposed solutions.

Stressed the value of challenging feedback during the solution definition phase to ensure alignment with customer needs.

Mentioned the transition to product definition, focusing on specific features and capabilities to address identified problems.

Acknowledged the difficulty of distinguishing a new product in a competitive market.

Suggested the need for creativity in finding a niche or differentiating factor in the market.

Discussed the importance of not relying solely on being the cheaper option and the need for a unique value proposition.

Shared the current focus on developing a product strategy and roadmap based on gathered insights.

Expressed excitement for the upcoming release of the first version of the product in four weeks.

Invited viewers to connect and share feedback, emphasizing the desire for personal interaction beyond numbers.

Transcripts

so we're back with another startup chat

um number 11

so in this one I wanted to talk

about um some some customer development

activities I've been doing

recently uh so market research fancy

word for market

research um so I've spoken with just in

the last two week alone maybe spoken

with uh over 30 people which has been

super valuable like really grateful for

for people that gave me some of their

time um and so yeah in this video I

think I'm just going to share a bit of

the the thought process behind that and

maybe that there might be some insights

that if you're in a similar stage um

mean you don't waste your your time or

you know can be a bit more efficient so

I think

the first Insight here is

that to get these um and these this

market research has been going on for

several months um there's just been a

high volume in the last two weeks um

but firstly how I approached people to

to conduct This research is through

outbound DMS on

LinkedIn and that was hard I I'm not

sure if I got anyone to say Yes um

through outbound DMS Maybe a few people

none come to mind um and so most of

these interviews if not all have all

been generated through content uh so a

lot of them have been inbound um which

is just I feel like a a really

privileged position to be in um and

people just you seem to be so

forthcoming and and open to give

feedback don't get me wrong I think

there's there's a it's mutually

beneficial I think a lot of um people

just want to be aware of what's going on

what people are working on um and in a

lot of these conversations people gave

their perspective on what I was working

on and in return I gave my

perspective um and yeah I just found

that interesting that like just how hard

it was

to um to get

people um to say yes through outbound

DMS um and how not easy but much easier

it was through content um so another

another strike on the uh reasons why you

should do content um so I've I've

approached this Market Research in like

three

stages uh so the first stage was problem

definition this started several months

ago um and I guess this this journey why

I'm building my software setup was

because it all started with like an

initial Insight right um really

a reason why I thought uh this business

should exist related to um problems like

industry Trends um and also

just um a journey that I want to go on

right I think as a Founder you should

accept that 5 to 10 years of your life

are going to be spent on your business

and so you want to you want to play the

right game right you want something that

you can feel passionate about something

that you you won't have to rely solely

on motivation because that runs dry very

quickly um and so I think this

combination of of variables um sort of

led me to go down this path and in this

first stage problem definition I was I

was really just hunting for problems um

so I didn't have a pitch I didn't you

know maybe I had some loose idea of what

a product could look like but I

certainly wasn't talking about a product

I wasn't talking about Solutions I was

really just asking open-ended questions

um and just uncovering problems um how

that like the day-to-day activities of

these people where they where they focus

their efforts what problems are you know

super urgent and burning you know what

problems are they responsible for what

happens when when those things go wrong

how are they currently solving those

problems just really trying to get

insights into

those um into those bits um and trying

to order

the because everyone has problems right

but trying to order those problems in um

in order of importance and priority and

and this just gives you somewhere to aim

right like fundamentally businesses

exist to solve problems and I think this

is why a lot of businesses fail is

because the problem they went after

wasn't maybe urgent enough or big

enough um and so then you're just you

know fighting an uphill battle um so I

just came to these conversations uh

really open-minded just speaking with

people uncovering their

day-to-day um the the type of people I I

spoke with I I did start with I guess

what you could call like a customer

hypothesis um you know over the last few

years I've I've sort of built this list

of criteria from working in the Sass

industry

of in simple terms the game I want to

play you know who what Market I want to

be in the type of customers I want which

then you know determines all these other

variables like average revenue per user

and and stuff like that um basically

just trying to go on a journey where I'm

leaning into my strengths and advantages

um rather than I guess the opposite of

that so very open open-minded um in this

stage and I did personally offer

incentives to people to to speak with me

I'm not timing this so hopefully I can

see um I

wasn't okay no I'm going to have to

guess um yeah I incentivized people

people to to jump on these calls with me

like $25 Amazon gift card it just makes

it a lot easier um you know people are

just more willing to jump on a call when

they're incentivized so like if if

you're struggling to to get people on on

calls just try to do that um you know it

can get quite expensive so just I guess

make sure you're you're reaching out to

the right people um after that then we

then progress to um solution definition

I'm just going to put the timer on so I

don't run over

here um

so by the time we got to stage two the

the solution definition I had a better

picture right and that that's that

that's the whole function of this market

research is you start the journey with

just theories basically I think this

group of people have these problems and

I think this is how those problems are

solved and through each ideally each uh

market research call you have each

conversation you have you should

adjust those theories um and in the

right way you know through data rather

than assumptions and if if you feel like

after these conversations you're having

that that isn't happening you know you

haven't gained an Insight then it

probably means you need to tighten your

your targeting um because I I will admit

some conversations I've had I'm probably

like um that you know probably wasn't

the best use of of 30 minutes um

actually I had a call with someone

and um they basically just pitched me

their product um so yeah if you feel

like you're not getting something out of

these conversations then um certainly

tighten your your targeting a bit so by

the time we got to Stage to the solution

definition I I did have a refined idea

of um my ideal customers and the

problems that they had and so what I did

in in this stage is

stage one was very much like me asking

open-ended questions letting these um

these people like just

basically uh tell a story whereas in the

solution definition I sort of present it

to them I was like okay you know I've

done my research these are the problems

I think exist in the

market um and here are some solutions

that I think could solve those problems

um and so I just gave my my like

interpretation my version of a

um and then I just learned

how people reacted to that um you know

my version of events was I was I on the

right tracks was I not did I think a big

problem well a problem was big and

actually it was a small problem um and

then just uncovering how they're

currently solving those problems so it

was a bit more of a a targeted

conversation um and in this stage I

spoke with two groups of people I spoke

with um

Founders and why that was really useful

is because I just wanted to get a Vibe

check um from like a business point of

perspective you know am I marching in

the right

direction um ideally they were Founders

who were a couple of steps ahead and you

know they had some wisdom to share with

me and I found that really really

valuable and then the next group of

people were you know the Target perers

that fitted that refined um hypothesis

and that's where the real insights are

gained right this the real stress test

because you can there there is the issue

with speaking of like other Founders is

that that the worst calls you can have

during this phase are are calls where

people are like yeah that sounds

good um and there's no like constructive

feedback or they don't challenge your

thoughts or um or you don't come away

from the cool feeling like you've

learned something those are the worst

type of calls you don't want those calls

they're not very useful you want people

to um challenge you you want it feels

really uncomfortable in the moment but

you want people to like tear you apart

because that's how you learn that's how

you you get out of your own head and

into reality um and that's what I mean

by stress testing um and so that there

does come a point where I think you

should stop speaking to other Founders

if if they're not your ideal customers

if they are then of course keep speaking

to them um because it just become it's

it just gets to a point where it's not a

good use of time you just need to be

speaking to your ideal customers now of

that picture of who your ideal customer

is changes then of course you need to

speak with other groups of people but

that there does get to a point where it

just becomes like a a 30- minute coffee

chat rather than you actually learning

something new and advancing your

business um and you do I think you just

do need to get to the point where

it's just a matter of priorities because

obviously it doesn't feel comfortable in

the moment but um you know do a bit of

Discovery at the beginning of these

calls and if if it turns out that

they're not the type of persona you're

going after then you know just politely

de decline the call and um save everyone

time and that yeah that's just something

I noticed

is it it got to the point where I I had

so much data that I then just needed to

think about it and act on it and part of

that was refining the people I spoke

with um so that's what I did in the

solution definition phase is just

really consolidating my thoughts from

the first phase and like presenting my

uh version of

events and just receiving feedback from

people like am I on the right track am I

not um what should I what should I be

thinking about what am my risks and

people are really forthcoming with ideas

um like super super valuable this is

probably where I had the most most

valuable uh conversations um and I feel

like you know you could speak with 50

people you could have 50 calls and

honestly I feel like maybe just three of

those calls out of 50 will make the

entire 50 worth it like that that's just

something I experienced where somebody

will ask one question or they'll say one

thing and it could just be a few words

and it will really just force you to

rethink everything um and that can be

dangerous like this is you know somebody

said to me is like I can give you my

opinion you know I can give you my views

but really it's up to you to determine

if if they're valuable or not and that's

super important right you don't want

knee-jerk reactions to to people's

feedback ultimately at the end of the

day people care more about their

problems and their business then what

you're working

on but I did find that yeah just a few

of those conversations just because they

had an Insight that I didn't or they had

a a point of view that I had thought of

super super valuable um and just kind of

made it all worth it um which I think is

just how the world uh Works um and then

we moved on to the next phase which is

what I'm kind of on now which is the

product definition so we've gone from

problems uncovering problems you know

what the what do people struggle with um

what those burn in urg problems that I

should go

after hypothesizing solutions to those

problems um and then a product that

delivers that solution I think an

important Point here is there is um a

separation between solution and product

like a problem could be you know we just

can't get demos on our calendar now

there are many ways you can solve that

you could hire a fractional consultant

to improve your your marketing strategy

you could hire an agency to do paid

marketing or outbound for you you could

buy a course which teaches you you know

bits and Bobs about go to market

strategy you know many solutions there

and so I think it's important not to be

tunnel visioned on product um and so in

this stage where I did sort of talk more

about the product and like I said I'm in

this stage right now this is

where I I start to present the specific

product features and capabilities that

provide that solution so what is the

best way the most efficient streamlined

way to provide that solution to to users

of the product and I will admit this is

the hardest part this is super super

hard um because you're the new kid on

the Block if you're going into a

competitive market which I am you know

the question is always well what makes

you different um and from a product

perspective that's quite hard to solve

because um you know to to build a

worldclass product takes years in my

opinion um and and so when your

competitors have been around for years

they've raised millions of dollars they

have large teams of Engineers of course

their product is going to be more

evolved and so this is where you have to

get like really creative you have to

either find that kink in their armor um

because you know that there will be that

group of customers that are under served

or there will be that product capability

that just isn't doing its job well

enough and so you either need to focus

there from a product perspective and

just put all of your all of your might

into that one area and that becomes your

your wedge or you need to think

creatively on the marketing side so how

do you stand out on the marketing side

and again that there's no like uh

shortcut here you know the common

answers to this is like brand and

Community these aren't things you can

just click your finger again these take

like several months years to build up um

and you never really want to be you know

be the cheaper option this this is a

strategy and I'm not knocking it but

it's not something I you know it's not

the path I want to take so this is where

I'm spending a lot of my time at the

moment um you know I'm Consulting with

people paying you know subject matter

experts who can help in this area um and

this is where I'm focusing a lot of my

energy and time is uh answering that one

question

um how are you different um and so

that's where I am at the moment you know

I haven't I haven't solved this stage I

have lots of ideas uh which has sort of

transformed into a product strategy into

a rough product road map uh and vision

um but yeah that's where I am at the

moment version one of the products going

to be done in like uh four weeks which

I'm super excited

for um to to get people into the product

and using it uh but yeah that's where

I'm at with with research uh not sure if

if that valuable um but yeah I'll keep

you guys updated any questions about

that or feedback you know if if you're

Keen to hear about what I'm working on

then you know would' love to speak and

and hear your feedback and as I said in

in return you know happy to provide my

perspective on anything you're doing um

love geeking out about the the SAS

industry yeah that's it for this startup

chat uh one thing I will say is um

particularly on YouTube if you're

watching these videos and you're finding

them valuable or or not finding them

valuable like please just shoot me a

message obviously I'm I'm speaking to

you on the camera right now but all I

see on YouTube and Linkedin are uh

numbers right and so yeah really Keen to

connect with some of you on on more of a

personal level but if not I'll see you

next week