How I Started Selling Before I Even Had a Product (and Stopped Building in Silence)
Content Summary
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream opinion in the post and comments is that building a product in isolation and launching it without validation leads to failure. Most commenters agree that talking to potential customers early, using landing pages, and collecting pre-orders can significantly increase the chances of success. There is also strong support for the idea of focusing on real user pain points rather than building features that are not needed. Some debate exists around the best methods for gathering feedback, with some preferring surveys and others advocating for direct calls and prototyping. Overall, there is a shared belief that the key to SaaS success lies in understanding and solving real problems for users before building anything.
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrd | https://carrd.co | Landing Page Builder | Quick landing pages for pre-orders |
| Stripe | https://stripe.com | Payment Processing | Pre-orders and payment pledges |
| Figma | https://figma.com | Design Tool | Prototyping and sharing mockups |
| Trello | https://trello.com | Project Management | Public roadmap and updates |
| Loom | https://loom.com | Video Communication | Weekly product updates |
| Pulse for Reddit | - | Community Engagement | Gathering unfiltered pain points from niche subs |
| Notion | https://notion.so | Productivity & Collaboration | Feedback backlog and workspace management |
| Hotjar | https://hotjar.com | User Behavior Analysis | On-page insights |
| Typeform | https://typeform.com | Survey Tool | Customer feedback collection |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Building products without validation leading to no users or sales
- Difficulty in finding the right audience for a product
- Fear of launching into a void with no feedback
- Perfection paralysis during development
- Lack of marketing skills for indie developers
Problems to Solve:
- How to validate an idea before building it
- How to find and engage with potential customers early
- How to avoid building features that are not needed
- How to create a sustainable revenue stream quickly
Potential Solutions:
- Talking to potential customers before building
- Using landing pages and pre-orders to test demand
- Creating prototypes (like Figma mocks) to gather feedback
- Sharing a public roadmap to keep users engaged
- Using tools like Trello, Loom, and Pulse for Reddit to maintain feedback loops
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Validating ideas with potential customers before building
- Using pre-orders and landing pages to test demand
- Engaging with users through calls and feedback sessions
- Building a public roadmap and keeping users updated
- Focusing on solving real problems that users face
Marketing & Acquisition:
- SEO and Google Paid Ads for customer acquisition
- Leveraging community engagement (e.g., Reddit) for feedback
- Using social proof from early customers to attract more users
Monetization & Product:
- Charging for a product before it's built to ensure demand
- Focusing on core value propositions rather than unnecessary features
- Reinvesting early revenue into marketing efforts
- Building products based on user pain points for better product-market fit
User Engagement:
- Maintaining open communication with users through calls and updates
- Creating a sense of community by involving users in the development process
- Using public roadmaps and regular updates to build trust and loyalty