Lean Coffee: Git Money!

Some brief notes from this morning's "Git Money" Lean Coffee TO session at Big Bang:

• No, this was not about Git :)
• How do you validate whether someone will pay, before you even build the product?
• Example: Coffee Shop owners
• Biggest problem: How to get feedback from their customers
• Made up rough wireframes and brought them to coffee shops
• Asked for $20, promised working software by a certain date
• In return, they got $200 of service
• Reduced the discount rate as more customers signed up
• Social proof made it an easier sale
• Would this approach work for more expensive products?
• Potentially -- Companies sell unfinished software all the time
• Start with a discount, and reduce that discount over time
• What is the product is really complicated?
• Customers may ask to see more before handing over money
• In that case, you may need to look to a different type of "visionary" customer
• What if your product has an existing competitor?
• All products have some type of competition (ie. the "do nothing" alternative, or other channels that might not be "direct" competition)
• How much do you need?
• Depends on how good a sales person you are
• Might be able to see just based on a conversation
• Otherwise, might need wireframes, working prototype, etc.
• Future discussion topic: Customer Objections