David Cancel discusses Performable's journey of pivoting its product twice based on customer feedback. The initial product focused on automatic optimization but customers wanted more customization. The first pivot aimed to support customization but proved difficult for SMB customers. The second pivot focused on metrics-driven marketers who were power users willing to pay for a solutions-focused platform. Cancel shares lessons around validating ideas with paying customers, identifying patterns from feedback, moving quickly, and solving real problems over indifference.

1. Pivot to Win
Performable Case Study
David Cancel
The Lean Startup @ SXSWi - March 12, 2011

3. Our Vision for Performable
★ Combine Insights with Actions
★ Built for Marketers not Analysts
★ Powered by a Web-scale CRM
★ Software as a Service, No IT

4. Our Vision for Performable
★ Combine Insights with Actions
★ Built for Marketers not Analysts
★ Powered by a Web-scale CRM
★ Software as a Service, No IT
“I want Performable to be the
Salesforce.com of Internet Marketing”

7. First Product Iteration

8. First Iteration: What We Learned
★ Automatic optimization didn’t matter
★ Marketers want to customize
★ WYSIWYG experience not gratifying

11. Pivot #1

12. Pivot #1: What We Learned
★ Supporting customization is hard
★ SMB customers require education
★ Landing pages were “nice-to-have”

15. Metrics-Driven Marketers

16. Metrics-Driven Marketers
★ Appreciated our platform
★ Willing to pay up-front for solution
★ Heavy daily users of our software

19. Pivot #2

21. Startup Pivot Lessons Learned

22. Customers = Paid

23. Search Hard For Patterns

24. Move Ghetto Fast

25. Solve Customer Problems

26. The Real Competition is
Indifference NOT Startups

27. dcancel@performable.com
http://twitter.com/dcancel
http://www.performable.com/
:-) Thank You!