Should I release my software for free?
I've been working on this project for 6 months now, it's a B2B software application with 80 businesses on the wait-list.
The problem is, we are not happy enough with the product to start charging businesses to use it. So we are thinking of going "hey, we aren't really finished yet, but you can use the software for free in the meantime".
We already do this for our testing group of users, but that's in a very controlled environment.
What are peoples thoughts and experiences in similar situations?
No.
Either it solves their problem or it doesn't.
If it does, it's worth paying for.
If not, people won't actually use it even if it is free.
Go try and sell to these companies. Find out exactly what the minimum functionality you need to provide is for them to pay you. And then just build that ASAP.
Good luck!
Thanks Louis! Really appreciate it.
We have 14 businesses testing out the product right now, they are all super happy with it. One of the issues is, we are dealing with a lot of sensitive information. So we are are in the mindset of, we need to 'iron out the creases' before we start charging. Don't want to be responsible for the loss/corruption of data, so to speak.
We don't have the resources to get a team in and make sure the product is 100% today, so this is some more reasoning why we are considering this option.
Also this way we can get the product out there and people using it and troubleshooting for us.. Bring in feedback and get the product to an even stronger position than before.
It's late here so I'll be short -->
Again, this maps to an excuse in my mind pretty much. If you're randomly losing clients' data and negatively impacting their business then your product is worth less than $0, not $0. On the other hand, if it's providing real value then it's worth more than $0.
The feedback is only valuable if the client is paying/committed to paying soon. Otherwise it's irrelevant. Like asking me (27 years old) what I want from my dream retirement home.
Don't be scared. Just figure out what is really important to your customers (by selling/talking to them) and double down on building just that!
Can't really argue with that! Thanks for your advice
Big +1 - Charge as soon as you can.
If you are not charing, you have users. Once you charge you have customers. Today, you have 14 happy users. Once you find out who your customers really are, it will make gathering meaningful feedback much easier.
If I were you instead of giving it away free I will put all those users into beta (testing) group until it is ready.
The earlier you start charging, the earlier you will know if you really solve a problem which people are willing to pay for. I would just start to roll it out to some (maybe 5-8) businesses on the waitlist and see, what they think. Maybe they are more satisfied with the solution than you expect. Otherwise, you can still appologize and give them back their money afterwards, if it goes totally wrong.
If it was me here is what I would do -
I would already have the use-case from these 80 businesses. I mean the Exact problem "they" think the product will solve, not what I believe it will solve. Sometimes there is a big disconnect between what the founder believes and what customers think about an upcoming product.
Once that is sorted, I would start with modulizing the system into separate modules and stack them in a roadmap.
Must have (the tech) -> should have (Great UI/UX) -> nice to have (Additional features) .
Remember Free (Beta included) users help you build Cool products, paying customers helps you Build valuable products.
Once the MVP is ready, I would pick a handful of people from the 80 list, show them the demo along with the roadmap and ask them to pay for it (with a discount for being early user).
No trial, nothing. Straight payment.
Now they will tell you exactly why they can't pay right now and what is missing.
Some of them will try to bluff you or just give you a vague reason, ask them to commit if you build that feature will you pay? and sense if they are really serious or just trying to avoid you. In either case, it will be a very valuable insight. If they are not interested in the main dish, they won't be buying the sides either.
Do it with few people and Listen to that feedback, that feedback is the most important one.
For a recent B2B Product, we signed up early customers paying $3K / Month with the stock Django Interface as customer panel.
The interface was ugly but the underlying tech adds tremendous value to their business and that's what matters.
Hope that helps...
Helps incredibly!
We could probably jump to your 4th point really quickly, we already have a lot of proof that the product is valuable and we've exceeded the MVP, we actually have 14 Beta testers using the product at the moment.
Love this advice!
This comment was deleted 7 years ago
Great idea, thanks!