This document provides advice on acquiring customers for a startup. It emphasizes the importance of traction or having customers to prove the business concept works and make money. Some common myths about acquiring customers are dismissed. The document advises to know your product, customers, and channels to reach them. It then outlines key stages in the product development cycle and questions to consider at each stage related to customers and sales. Finally, it discusses the importance of building for distribution and sales from the beginning by considering how the product and sales process can best reach customers through different channels like brick and mortar, online, enterprise, and services.

1. Acquiring customers for your startup
By Maxine Manafy

2. About me
In 2010, founded Bunndle – an ad
network for apps.
Formerly in business development,
manufacturing engineering, but not a
developer.
My business is all about acquiring
customers; distribution; monetization.
It’s a pain point for every business.
I live in it.

3. acquiring customers = traction
Traction is important. It means you have customers. It means you
have a business. And it means you can make money.

4. Myths
Build it and they will come… The right sales person can sell
anything… I just need to do a lot of advertising.

5. Sometimes it takes a little more…

6. Know your product
What is the “nature” of your product? When do customers use it?
What is the context within which they will use it?
?

7. Know your customer
Who are they? What type of customer? Where are they? How many
of them are there?

8. Know your channels
How do your customers get your product? How many channels
exist? How does the channel work? Do I need to include
requirements in my product to work in this channel?

9. Let’s see how this works
in the
product development cycle…

11. WHAT IS THE PAIN
POINT?
IDEA
BETA
LAUNCH
SCALE

12. DO I HAVE THE
RIGHT FEATURES?
IDEA
BETA
LAUNCH
SCALE

13. HOW MUCH WILL
CUSTOMERS PAY
FOR MY CHICKEN?
IDEA
BETA
LAUNCH
SCALE
FIRST CUSTOMER.
YOU MAY HAVE TO GIVE YOUR FIRST
CHICKEN AWAY FOR FREE.

14. IDEA
BETA
LAUNCH
HOW DO I GET MY
CHICKEN TO MY
CUSTOMERS?
SCALE
MANY CUSTOMERS.
BUILD FOR DISTRIBUTION

15. IDEA
BETA
LAUNCH
HOW DO I GET MY
CHICKEN TO MY
CUSTOMERS?
SCALE
MANY CUSTOMERS.
BUILD FOR DISTRIBUTION
FROM THE BEGINNING.

16. Thinking about sales
before product development is complete
can help get you customers faster….

17. The first customer
The first customer may require that you give your product or service away for free.
Your product will likely have bugs and incomplete features. At this point, you should
be a great listener, focusing on getting customer requirements correct and building
the relationship.
FREE
CHICKEN!

18. Traction
Once you have the correct product features and have demonstrated that it worked for at
least one customer, you should be able to duplicate the process. You have launched at
this point but have low sales volume. Your goal now is “repeat sales”. You are still
listening for customer requirements while getting to know your sales cycle.
A few more customers…

19. A lot more customers…
You are ready to scale and should be thinking about how you can get your
product to a lot of customers quickly. Your product is working and you have
prepared for the sales cycle.

20. Build for distribution
Keep in mind how you will sell your product, and what your vehicles for distribution are. Build this
into your product and sales cycle early. This will greatly increase the chances for you scaling
your business quickly.

21. Build for distribution
Examples of businesses: Clothes, food, mobile devices, cars
For the product, think about: Quality, visual queues, packaging, unique features
For the sale, think about: Guarantees, the product is easy to take home, price, brand, financing
Brick & Mortar

22. Build for distribution
Examples of businesses: Website, social site, web application, mobile apps
For the product, think about: Simplicity, “one-click”, size, viral features, vitality features
For the sale, think about: SEM, online portals, online stores, online distribution channels
Online

23. Build for distribution
Examples of businesses: IT products, SMB, B2B
For the product, think about: Building for easy integration, low legal hassles, high switching costs
For the sale, think about: A big rolodex, how to shorten the sales cycle, getting to the key decision
maker
Enterprise

24. Build for distribution
Examples of businesses: Law firms, PR firms, consultants, hair salon, restaurants
For the product, think about: customer service, reputation, high touch, brand
For the sale, think about: Industry feeder sources, loyalty/referral rewards, a long-term
relationship, a constant feedback loop
Services

25. Final thought
Know your product. Know your customers. Know your channels… And then you can hire
great sales people who know how to get your product in front of the right customers.

26. Thank you
Twitter: @mmanafy, @bunndle