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Here's one popular example: Recruit new users by manually installing your s/w on their computers by @patrickc” link: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html http://paulg

Here's one popular example: Recruit new users by manually installing your s/w on their computers by @patrickc” link: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html http://paulgraham.com/ds.html

sidcool 8y ago
Borderline unethical.
- sokoloff 8y ago
  > At YC we use the term "Collison installation" for the technique they invented. More diffident founders ask "Will you try our beta?" and if the answer is yes, they say "Great, we'll send you a link." But the Collison brothers weren't going to wait. When anyone agreed to try Stripe they'd say "Right then, give me your laptop" and set them up on the spot. What could possibly be unethical about that?!
- nostrademons 8y ago
  The Collison technique is that you ask people if they want to use your product, in person, and then set it up for them if they say yes. Nothing unethical about that. I'd heard that one technique another startup used was to go to all the local Apple Stores and set the home page of Safari on each computer to their website. That seems borderline unethical, but that's not what Stripe was doing, nor would it really work for their market.
gnicholas 8y ago
Someone cajoled me into installing his startup's app on my iPhone when I met him at an alumni event. His pushiness was off-putting, and I had zero interest in the app (which I deleted that night). TBH, even if I had been somewhat interested in the app, I would have been inclined to uninstall, just because I don't approve of this tactic.
- graeme 8y ago
  In the Stripe example, the prospects had expressed strong interest in using Stripe, during the conversation. So the founder said "great! I'll set it up for you right now" That's the total opposite of what happened to you. In fairness, GP could have been more explicit when describing the approach.
freehunter 8y ago
I used this to close a sponsorship deal the other week. I had been talking to this potential customer for weeks at this point, and every time their answer was "we really want to pay for a sponsorship but just haven't had the time to go online and pay for it yet". So I asked "what if I do the paperwork for you and you just have to type in your card number"? She handed me her phone and went to grab her credit card. By the time she came back I was at the payment screen and the deal was closed on the spot. That one deal tripled our YTD revenue, and opened my eyes to the fact that my sales process was far more complicated than it actually needed to be.

Here's one popular example: Recruit new users by manually installing your s/w on their computers by @patrickc” link: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html http://paulgraham.com/ds.html

sidcool 8y ago

Borderline unethical.

sokoloff 8y ago
> At YC we use the term "Collison installation" for the technique they invented. More diffident founders ask "Will you try our beta?" and if the answer is yes, they say "Great, we'll send you a link." But the Collison brothers weren't going to wait. When anyone agreed to try Stripe they'd say "Right then, give me your laptop" and set them up on the spot. What could possibly be unethical about that?!
nostrademons 8y ago
The Collison technique is that you ask people if they want to use your product, in person, and then set it up for them if they say yes. Nothing unethical about that. I'd heard that one technique another startup used was to go to all the local Apple Stores and set the home page of Safari on each computer to their website. That seems borderline unethical, but that's not what Stripe was doing, nor would it really work for their market.

gnicholas 8y ago

Someone cajoled me into installing his startup's app on my iPhone when I met him at an alumni event. His pushiness was off-putting, and I had zero interest in the app (which I deleted that night). TBH, even if I had been somewhat interested in the app, I would have been inclined to uninstall, just because I don't approve of this tactic.

graeme 8y ago
In the Stripe example, the prospects had expressed strong interest in using Stripe, during the conversation. So the founder said "great! I'll set it up for you right now" That's the total opposite of what happened to you. In fairness, GP could have been more explicit when describing the approach.

freehunter 8y ago

I used this to close a sponsorship deal the other week. I had been talking to this potential customer for weeks at this point, and every time their answer was "we really want to pay for a sponsorship but just haven't had the time to go online and pay for it yet". So I asked "what if I do the paperwork for you and you just have to type in your card number"? She handed me her phone and went to grab her credit card. By the time she came back I was at the payment screen and the deal was closed on the spot. That one deal tripled our YTD revenue, and opened my eyes to the fact that my sales process was far more complicated than it actually needed to be.