4 ms·

"Actually call them and ask how they're doing" I'm amazed at the number of product companies that don't do this. Or stop doing it as soon as they think they've

"Actually call them and ask how they're doing" I'm amazed at the number of product companies that don't do this. Or stop doing it as soon as they think they've found product/market fit. If I had to pick between A/B testing and talking to my customers (and it would, of course, be dumb to pick only one of those options) I'd pick talking to my customers without hesitation. A/B testing let's me optimise. Talking let's me discover my customers' problems.

rgbrgb 13y ago
On the other hand, I am incredibly annoyed when hosting companies give me personal phone calls to ask how I'm doing or tell me about their new service. There's probably a middleground but I just don't really like talking to salespeople.
- mgkimsal 13y ago
  Agreed. Rarely has someone called me who really really wanted to know my experience with something, and nothing more. I think I've had one call like that in the last year, and even it was sort of a... well, not salesy. I'd signed up for an Azure test drive. 1 month in someone called to ask what I was doing with it. Based on what I said, they assigned a support person to me, sent me that person's info, and said to contact them if I had any support/tech questions. No sales pitch, no upsell. Pretty much every other thing I sign up for, if someone calls, it's inevitably a salesperson who does not understand the tech behind the tech they're selling, trying to push the latest version of something they don't know. Please - call me and ask me if I'm using it. If say 'no' - as in, 'no, I don't use subversion, and I've not worked in an enterprise situation for 9 years' - that should be enough to take me off your list. If I say yes, and have feedback, take it, listen, record it, say 'thanks', and get it to the right people. If I'm using something, and it sucks, and I tell you it sucks, a followup from someone telling me you'll make it better would net a customer for life. No one has yet done that for me. Wait - I did have a service company in town that was in startup mode take their site down, then proceed to call a few of the really early adopters (me included), do moderately long interviews by phone, and then tell us they're pivoting the company based on our feedback. Time will tell if that works out for them, but it was unexpected. tldr = if you're calling for feedback, call for feedback, take it, and act on it. do not try to sell me something at the same time.
  - lifeisstillgood 13y ago
    Oh yes. I love the idea of actually just asking for feedback. And then putting a dev in front of the ones who actually have something constructive to say.
- adrianhoward 13y ago
  Remember - talking to your customers != cold phone calls. * You can arrange a phone call. Email 'em first, or use a tool like ethn.io, or just hack something into the workflow of your site that lets people opt-in to a call right then. * You can give options for customers to call you outside of support calls. Set up some office hours on ohours or whatever. Get your customer to call you. * Find a local customer. Go out for coffee. Buy them dinner. * Whenever you go somewhere not-local - see if you have a customer there. Go out for coffee. Buy them dinner. * If you find there are non-local locations that have groupings of many of your customers - find an excuse to go visit that location. ... and so on...

rgbrgb 13y ago

On the other hand, I am incredibly annoyed when hosting companies give me personal phone calls to ask how I'm doing or tell me about their new service. There's probably a middleground but I just don't really like talking to salespeople.

mgkimsal 13y ago
Agreed. Rarely has someone called me who really really wanted to know my experience with something, and nothing more. I think I've had one call like that in the last year, and even it was sort of a... well, not salesy. I'd signed up for an Azure test drive. 1 month in someone called to ask what I was doing with it. Based on what I said, they assigned a support person to me, sent me that person's info, and said to contact them if I had any support/tech questions. No sales pitch, no upsell. Pretty much every other thing I sign up for, if someone calls, it's inevitably a salesperson who does not understand the tech behind the tech they're selling, trying to push the latest version of something they don't know. Please - call me and ask me if I'm using it. If say 'no' - as in, 'no, I don't use subversion, and I've not worked in an enterprise situation for 9 years' - that should be enough to take me off your list. If I say yes, and have feedback, take it, listen, record it, say 'thanks', and get it to the right people. If I'm using something, and it sucks, and I tell you it sucks, a followup from someone telling me you'll make it better would net a customer for life. No one has yet done that for me. Wait - I did have a service company in town that was in startup mode take their site down, then proceed to call a few of the really early adopters (me included), do moderately long interviews by phone, and then tell us they're pivoting the company based on our feedback. Time will tell if that works out for them, but it was unexpected. tldr = if you're calling for feedback, call for feedback, take it, and act on it. do not try to sell me something at the same time.
- lifeisstillgood 13y ago
  Oh yes. I love the idea of actually just asking for feedback. And then putting a dev in front of the ones who actually have something constructive to say.
adrianhoward 13y ago
Remember - talking to your customers != cold phone calls. * You can arrange a phone call. Email 'em first, or use a tool like ethn.io, or just hack something into the workflow of your site that lets people opt-in to a call right then. * You can give options for customers to call you outside of support calls. Set up some office hours on ohours or whatever. Get your customer to call you. * Find a local customer. Go out for coffee. Buy them dinner. * Whenever you go somewhere not-local - see if you have a customer there. Go out for coffee. Buy them dinner. * If you find there are non-local locations that have groupings of many of your customers - find an excuse to go visit that location. ... and so on...