Does providing potential customers with a live demo account help increase customer acquisition?

I have been involved in building and implementing systems - both SaaS based products, custom services. I have seen that it pays to smoothen the process of on-boarding by offering controlled and curated access to potential customers. Seed the environment with contextual data and help the visitors get the aha moment early on. Simple examples - if it is an LMS (Learning Management System) that you are offering, load a course with some videos, quizzes etc and let the user try it out both as a teacher and as a student and show the interactions involved. This strategy is more likely to help the potential customers understand the features and also makes the experience memorable.

The freemium model is the latest trend in SaaS. People are hesitant to pay for services when there are so many platforms offering free platforms. Either a free level with basic functions or a trial period of your software will lead to more onboarding and allow you to up-sell services.

Just compare the costs and see if it works out or not. It is all in the math. Do a split test. Do not do it with more than 20% of your clients. See if it makes a difference. Obviously, if it works for 20%, it should work for the vast majority.

Listen, in any business you have to take some chances and some risks. Remember, timid business people have skinny kids. Paraphrased from Zig Ziglar.

I am not trying to sell you on calling me. Really, I am pretty busy with my businesses and consulting. However, I need more info before I could have a greater impact in helping you.

Ask, Ask, Ask, then Ask again.

Bonus:
Here is $10,000 worth of information for free and in a nutshell.

Concentrate on the 3 M's. There are actually 7, but 3 will do for now. These are Market, Message, and Media. They come in that order.

Who is your target market (customer, clients, buyers, users, etc.)?
Tailor your laser focused message for this target market.
What is the best media mix to get your message to that market?

Here's what you do...first, make it an offer that is so incredible that they cannot resist. Secondly, do all the work for them. Make it so easy to make the purchase now that they can do it virtually without effort. Thirdly, give them an incentive to act right now. Fourthly, offer an almost unbelievable guarantee. Fifth, offer a bonus for acting now. There are many other incredible steps, but these steps should help the novice to the professional sell anything.

Whether you are selling B2B or B2C, you have to focus on selling to only one person. You can actually sell to one person at a time while selling to millions at a time. They are one and the same. Don't get off track, what we call digital marketing selling is just selling in print. And that has not changed since Cluade Hopkins wrote "Scientific Advertising." Really long before he wrote the book.

The secret to success: I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with some of the biggest names in business, celebrities, actors, entrepreneurs, business people, and companies from startup to billion dollar operations. The number one reason for their success is doing what they know and love while doing it in new, creative, and innovative ways.

Ask, Ask, Ask. Have thick skin and learn from each "mistake." In a short while, the market will tell you what you need to do and who and what you need to ask. But get started now even if that just means asking a contact on LinkedIn.

While you are thinking, think big and think of something at least 1% better, newer, or different. And being cheaper is not a winning strategy.

Make decisions quickly and change decisions slowly..unless you are actually going off a cliff.

Remember these two 11 letter words...persistence and consistency. They are two of the most important tools ever invented.

Treat everybody you talk to and everybody you meet (including yourself) like each is your number one million dollar customer.

Best of luck,
Take massive action and never give up.
Michael

Michael Irvin, MBA, RN