Built a GAEB quote tool for German electricians — 88 visitors, zero feedback. What am I missing?
My godfather runs an electrical contracting business in Germany. Bidding means opening GAEB files (standard German tender format) and pricing hundreds of line items — usually in software that costs a subscription just to open the file.
So I built GAEB-Pilot: drag in the GAEB file, enter your prices, get a print-ready PDF. Runs fully in the browser, nothing uploaded, no account.
Launched it two days ago. Got 88 visitors, 1.23 pages per session, then flat. Nobody's told me anything — including my godfather, who hasn't had time to try it yet.
What I'm trying to figure out:
Is the landing page failing to explain what it does?
Is a free tool with no signup just too easy to close and forget?
How do you get actual usage feedback out of tradespeople who are busy all day?
Link: gaeb-pilot.de — would genuinely appreciate anyone poking at it and telling me where it falls apart.
88 visitors after two days doesn’t sound bad for such a niche tool. I think the bigger issue might be that your target users are electricians, not typical SaaS early adopters — they probably won’t spend time writing feedback unless something blocks them or saves them a noticeable amount of time.
Have you considered watching 3–5 electricians use it for the first time instead of asking for feedback? Seeing where they hesitate or get confused might tell you much more than analytics at this stage.
Tried to check out the site but got a "403 Forbidden" error, couldn't get past that to see the actual page. Might be worth double-checking your server/CDN config in case it's blocking some visitors — could be part of why traffic went flat.
Separate from that: the idea itself sounds solid — a real, specific pain (GAEB files locked behind subscription software) for a niche that probably isn't swimming in dev-built tools already. That's usually a better spot to be in than a crowded market. If your godfather can walk through one real bid with it once he has time, that single session is probably worth more than the 88 anonymous visitors — tradespeople are more likely to give blunt "this is annoying" feedback in person than write a comment online.
The strongest signal is that the problem is already validated by the founder’s real customer context, but the feedback loop is broken. Before changing the product, I’d want to know whether the 88 visitors actually included German electricians who regularly handle GAEB files.
Thanks for thr genuine answer! I went and checked. 99% direct traffic, so no referrers to trace. But the OS breakdown is telling: 36% Windows, 16% Linux, 12% macOS. German trade businesses run Windows almost exclusively. So a meaningful chunk of those 88 were developers or crawlers, not electricians.
Which means you're right that the loop is broken, but earlier than I thought — it's not that electricians tried it and stayed quiet. It's that they mostly haven't tried it at all. My godfather forwarded the link around, people glanced at it on their phones, done.
So the real problem isn't the product or the page. It's distribution to a trade audience I'm not part of (I'm a dental technician).
Have you seen anyone crack this? Getting a tool in front of a specific trade when you have no standing in that trade yourself. Guild newsletters and trade forums are what I've got so far.
That distinction is important. I’d be interested in continuing the conversation privately. What’s the best email to reach you at?
Sure gaeb-pilot at protonmail dot me
Curious what you have in mind.
Hey — quick heads-up: the email bounced with a domain error. Could you confirm the correct email address?