I built a product that will solve a critical issue in the healthcare industry. I've never run a business before so would appreciate some advice. I know this product will change the healthcare industry landscape.
Our first client requested a demo. How do I get clients to signup after they have requested a demo? Should I charge an introductory fee for use of the beta?
great questions - we see this situation with our clients pretty frequently at my firm. based on my own years of SaaS/tech sales, marketing and project management experience, I would say the path most likely to get adoption is actually discovered before the demo is delivered, rather than after. that is to say, your way into the client should start with you thinking back on your initial conversations about their goals and their challenges. just as you likely did during the initial conversations, now is the time to connect what your product can do during the demo with how it addresses or responds to those challenges and goals. Curtail your demo to speak specifically to the things they have (directly or indirectly) expressed. If you're unsure, there are several good leading questions you can ask that will give you indicators as to which problems your product might he able to help them solve.
Beyond helping connect the dots, the value proposition you're offering here relates to what exactly you mean by a "beta" product. Beta can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Are you Beta in phase only (i.e. is your product debugged and more or less v1.0 full launch ready? Or, are you are just testing with a small group? Or, is Beta really a means of you finalizing your testing/debugging on the system prior to a larger launch?) so, how you get them to adopt (and how much or if you charge for this access) is driven by what it is your beta product is capable of doing at that point in time.
There is a pretty simple selling strategy that can be developed here - you need to make sure to create the appropriate checklist and evaluate your in-roads to a potential deal based on their stated or passively observed needs, curtail the demo to meet those needs, and then evaluate your own product so that you can build a plan for getting the "close" in from that potential client once you have completed the demo.
If you would like some help writing out your 3-phased plan for converting demos into deals I'd be happy to help. Schedule some time to connect and we can talk through the details then.
You need to get in contact with the person who requested the demo, and with them identify all the stakeholders who contribute to the decision. Then you need to talk to all those stakeholders.
It's great that "you know" your product will make a big difference for them...problem is, THEY have to believe that, too.
So your job is to find out where they're at. Do they share this belief? Are they skeptical? Have they been burned before? What questions do they have?
These things all need to be uncovered BEFORE you do any sort of presentation.
Finally, a word about language. If a person or company isn't yet using your solution, and hasn't paid for it, they aren't a "client"...they're a prospect.
So right now you have a good prospect. Find out as much as you can about them and the situation they are in.
What about a Proof of Concept (PoC)?
Would that not work?
1.Demo
2.PoC 1 month (all invoicing in place especially with the healthcare market)
3. Let it run
Or am I missing something?
Steven
