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"I didn’t stop to think if I had the authority to actually sell the product." This, IMO, is the line that best encapsulates the launch's performance. The prob

by nhangen 13y ago

"I didn’t stop to think if I had the authority to actually sell the product." This, IMO, is the line that best encapsulates the launch's performance. The problem with courses like the one the OP took is not that they offer bad advice, but they get people thinking about what they can sell instead of a) what problems they can solve and b) what problems they have the authority to solve. Sounds like the OP got the first part right, but maybe jumped too early on the 2nd. I'd encourage anyone looking to sell a product like this to spend just as much time, if not more, becoming an expert on said field before selling advice. I don't know the OP, so I apologize if this comes across as presumptive.

beat 13y ago
It's a pattern in a lot of startups. At least in this case, it's led to a product that sells. I've seen too many startups where the intended product is a startup. This leads to timid, me-too ideas that will never go anywhere. Starting from a point of deep domain expertise helps insure that you're addressing a real pain point in an effective way.
miscmktg 13y ago
"The problem with courses like the one the OP took is not that they offer bad advice, but they get people thinking about what they can sell instead of a) what problems they can solve and b) what problems they have the authority to solve." I took the same course as OP. You're making a lot of assumptions here. I have to chime in, because 30x500 is almost the exact opposite of what you've described. 1. We spent an overwhelming amount of time learning how to find, identify, and dissect pains and problems. Importantly, all of this was done well before we spent any time about thinking what types of products we should sell. (Side note: Check out this free lesson from 30x500 to get an idea of how we approach "pains"... http://unicornfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lesson-12-Pain-Killers.pdf http://unicornfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lesson-12-...) 2. The problem with OP wasn't that she wasn't "expert enough" to solve the problem SaaS Compass addresses. (There's no question that her product benefits SaaS owners.) It was a matter of her perceived authority, and that's something that can - and, knowing Jaana, will - be established over time. (e.g. through content marketing, publishing helpful, free information on her blog, etc.) "I'd encourage anyone looking to sell a product like this to spend just as much time, if not more, becoming an expert on said field before selling advice." 3. "Expert" is a very broad term, so this is wishy-washy advice. At what point is someone considered an expert? Can I teach 3 year olds to play soccer even if I'm not an expert soccer player? Hmmm, I think we're on to something. On top of that, what type of expert does one need to be? "Said field" is equally vague. Fields are BIG. You don't need to be an all-round SaaS expert to sell to SaaS owners. You just need to be an expert at one particular slice of SaaS, and know more about that than most SaaS owners do. (For instance, you can be a CRO expert and sell CRO advice that's targeted and tailored to SaaS owners and their CRO problems.)
- nhangen 13y ago
  Read my comment again: 'The problem with courses like the one the OP took is not that they offer bad advice, but they get people thinking about what they can sell instead of a) what problems they can solve and b) what problems they have the authority to solve.' This has nothing to do with what the course teaches, but with the perceptions of the students during their time in the course. I haven't analyzed the OP's business success, so I can't say whether or not I'd feel comfortable taking her advice, but I can tell you that were I to buy something like this, I would expect that it should come from someone with a good reputation and a volume of experience in the field (authority is a function of this). I'm not damning the course or the OP at all, merely stating an observation based on my own experiences in the field of info-products.
  - miscmktg 13y ago
    Okay, I read it again :) No, 30x500 doesn't get people thinking about what they can sell instead of what problems they can solve. This goes for the material, and the student perception of it. I'm making this bold claim because beginning by "thinking about what problems you can solve instead of thinking about what you can sell" (i.e. the opposite of what you've stated) is one of the major premises of the course. If you're talking about other courses, and you just assumed 30x500 was similar, fine. I just wanted to point out the differences, and how what you said was so far away from what we learned in the course (that includes the material, and our 'perceptions' during our time in the course). "Courses like the one OP took" <--- (You said this without knowing anything about 30x500...???)
    - nhangen 13y ago
      Amy doesn't remember but her and I have had many conversations at various conferences. I know many of her peers, and I know several people that have taken her course. Her husband and I discussed my sunburn at lessconf. I know that she/he are good people. My reference to courses like that is to any course that teaches someone how to make money on the internet, whether they sell ebooks, software, tools, downloads, or anything in between. My comment is not an indictment of her course, but of the many get rich quick seekers that take courses like these. Amy and I spoke about this today and mentioned that she markets so as to avoid this type of person. I think that's great. However, I'm not going to back away from my comment just because her students don't like what I'm saying.
jkulmala 13y ago
You are mixing up the mistakes I made and what 30x500 teaches. I went against Amy's advice when I picked my audience/product. The process does take care that you'll have the authority to sell what you build. I just wasn't following the process to the point. That's hardly someone else's fault than mine. In fact, I'm very happy with 30x500 and recommend it to anyone interesting in building an online product business
jkulmala 13y ago
Hmm... Do I need authority to solve a problem? No. If I can solve a problem, I can solve it. Does missing authority mean that I'm not an expert? No. I need (web) authority for selling. Don't mix up authority and expertise. It's possible to know a lot about something and still have zero authority in web. Does solving a familiar problem mean that someone will buy it? No. And if you don't have customers, you don't have a business. What you present here is just a more intelligent version of "if you build it, they will come" and we all know that doesn't work. It doesn't matter what all fancy stuff I'd have skill & expertise to build if I can't sell any of it. And as I said in that post, I'm happy and proud of this launch's performance :)
- nhangen 13y ago
  And I'm not saying anything negative about your launch. I'm saying that as you spend more time building a reputation as someone that can help people with a 'SaaS Compass,' you will have better results selling products like that.
ahoyhere 13y ago
Hi, I'm the teacher of 30x500, the course in question. You're right -- by far, the product failures I see are caused by people who are self-focused (what do I want to make? what's fun?) vs service-focused (how can I serve people? create value?). Which is why I teach the exact opposite path: http://unicornfree.com/2013/how-do-you-create-a-product-people-want-to-buy http://unicornfree.com/2013/how-do-you-create-a-product-peop... My students have cleared that one up already, I think :) So let's address your #B — "what problems they have the authority to solve." What is authority exactly? Who gives it? It's not really a term I use in the class because I think it's misunderstood. When Jaana wrote that she didn't have "enough authority," she meant reputation, not authority. But when you come down to it, it's not like Jaana is, say, a famous actress, who wants to break into rocket science. No, she's not famous or well-known at all. Her real problem isn't authority -- or the perception of authority, or reputation, or trust. It's not a question of image but reach. Her statistical chops are not at issue, only the size of her platform (readers, followers, fans). And she's working hard to fix that problem right now, using the "ebomb" strategy I teach in 30x500: Educate people, help them, and they will 1. read it, 2. share it, 3. remember you. As you can see, since we're discussing her post and people are saying how useful it is, this strategy works :) Now... if you have a platform already and you want to help people, serve people, and sell them something, and you're worried "They won't believe I have the experience!"... Don't try to sell a teaching product. Don't let it rest on your judgment. Don't use yourself. Instead, give them a tool that is "factual" -- "This is the math, just plug in your numbers" -- instead of based on opinion or your personal experience. This way you outsource the "judgment" to the end user of your tool. An alternate way is to do research and compile findings, and let the research speak its opinions instead of you. In that way, Jaana did take my advice. :)
- nhangen 13y ago
  Hey Amy, I'm referring to the expertise required to solve a given problem. There's a difference between selling a software product and an info product, and I'm sure you would agree. For example, you have the authority to teach 30x500 because you have created a successful business. The problem that I see with many students of courses like this, is that they want to sell the 'how-to' at the same time they are learning 'how-to.' I haven't read your course materials, nor have I looked at the SaaS-Compass product beyond this (http://saascompass.com/ http://saascompass.com/), but it looks like it's a strategy product, which means the author has to prove that he/she has the experience and authority required to help someone do what the course says it will do. I agree that taking yourself out is a great approach, but still, most prospects will want to know something about the author before they make their decision to buy/not-buy.

by nhangen 13y ago

beat 13y ago

It's a pattern in a lot of startups. At least in this case, it's led to a product that sells. I've seen too many startups where the intended product is a startup. This leads to timid, me-too ideas that will never go anywhere. Starting from a point of deep domain expertise helps insure that you're addressing a real pain point in an effective way.

miscmktg 13y ago

"The problem with courses like the one the OP took is not that they offer bad advice, but they get people thinking about what they can sell instead of a) what problems they can solve and b) what problems they have the authority to solve." I took the same course as OP. You're making a lot of assumptions here. I have to chime in, because 30x500 is almost the exact opposite of what you've described. 1. We spent an overwhelming amount of time learning how to find, identify, and dissect pains and problems. Importantly, all of this was done well before we spent any time about thinking what types of products we should sell. (Side note: Check out this free lesson from 30x500 to get an idea of how we approach "pains"... http://unicornfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lesson-12-Pain-Killers.pdf http://unicornfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lesson-12-...) 2. The problem with OP wasn't that she wasn't "expert enough" to solve the problem SaaS Compass addresses. (There's no question that her product benefits SaaS owners.) It was a matter of her perceived authority, and that's something that can - and, knowing Jaana, will - be established over time. (e.g. through content marketing, publishing helpful, free information on her blog, etc.) "I'd encourage anyone looking to sell a product like this to spend just as much time, if not more, becoming an expert on said field before selling advice." 3. "Expert" is a very broad term, so this is wishy-washy advice. At what point is someone considered an expert? Can I teach 3 year olds to play soccer even if I'm not an expert soccer player? Hmmm, I think we're on to something. On top of that, what type of expert does one need to be? "Said field" is equally vague. Fields are BIG. You don't need to be an all-round SaaS expert to sell to SaaS owners. You just need to be an expert at one particular slice of SaaS, and know more about that than most SaaS owners do. (For instance, you can be a CRO expert and sell CRO advice that's targeted and tailored to SaaS owners and their CRO problems.)

nhangen 13y ago
Read my comment again: 'The problem with courses like the one the OP took is not that they offer bad advice, but they get people thinking about what they can sell instead of a) what problems they can solve and b) what problems they have the authority to solve.' This has nothing to do with what the course teaches, but with the perceptions of the students during their time in the course. I haven't analyzed the OP's business success, so I can't say whether or not I'd feel comfortable taking her advice, but I can tell you that were I to buy something like this, I would expect that it should come from someone with a good reputation and a volume of experience in the field (authority is a function of this). I'm not damning the course or the OP at all, merely stating an observation based on my own experiences in the field of info-products.
- miscmktg 13y ago
  Okay, I read it again :) No, 30x500 doesn't get people thinking about what they can sell instead of what problems they can solve. This goes for the material, and the student perception of it. I'm making this bold claim because beginning by "thinking about what problems you can solve instead of thinking about what you can sell" (i.e. the opposite of what you've stated) is one of the major premises of the course. If you're talking about other courses, and you just assumed 30x500 was similar, fine. I just wanted to point out the differences, and how what you said was so far away from what we learned in the course (that includes the material, and our 'perceptions' during our time in the course). "Courses like the one OP took" <--- (You said this without knowing anything about 30x500...???)
  - nhangen 13y ago
    Amy doesn't remember but her and I have had many conversations at various conferences. I know many of her peers, and I know several people that have taken her course. Her husband and I discussed my sunburn at lessconf. I know that she/he are good people. My reference to courses like that is to any course that teaches someone how to make money on the internet, whether they sell ebooks, software, tools, downloads, or anything in between. My comment is not an indictment of her course, but of the many get rich quick seekers that take courses like these. Amy and I spoke about this today and mentioned that she markets so as to avoid this type of person. I think that's great. However, I'm not going to back away from my comment just because her students don't like what I'm saying.

jkulmala 13y ago

You are mixing up the mistakes I made and what 30x500 teaches. I went against Amy's advice when I picked my audience/product. The process does take care that you'll have the authority to sell what you build. I just wasn't following the process to the point. That's hardly someone else's fault than mine. In fact, I'm very happy with 30x500 and recommend it to anyone interesting in building an online product business

jkulmala 13y ago

Hmm... Do I need authority to solve a problem? No. If I can solve a problem, I can solve it. Does missing authority mean that I'm not an expert? No. I need (web) authority for selling. Don't mix up authority and expertise. It's possible to know a lot about something and still have zero authority in web. Does solving a familiar problem mean that someone will buy it? No. And if you don't have customers, you don't have a business. What you present here is just a more intelligent version of "if you build it, they will come" and we all know that doesn't work. It doesn't matter what all fancy stuff I'd have skill & expertise to build if I can't sell any of it. And as I said in that post, I'm happy and proud of this launch's performance :)

nhangen 13y ago
And I'm not saying anything negative about your launch. I'm saying that as you spend more time building a reputation as someone that can help people with a 'SaaS Compass,' you will have better results selling products like that.

ahoyhere 13y ago

Hi, I'm the teacher of 30x500, the course in question. You're right -- by far, the product failures I see are caused by people who are self-focused (what do I want to make? what's fun?) vs service-focused (how can I serve people? create value?). Which is why I teach the exact opposite path: http://unicornfree.com/2013/how-do-you-create-a-product-people-want-to-buy http://unicornfree.com/2013/how-do-you-create-a-product-peop... My students have cleared that one up already, I think :) So let's address your #B — "what problems they have the authority to solve." What is authority exactly? Who gives it? It's not really a term I use in the class because I think it's misunderstood. When Jaana wrote that she didn't have "enough authority," she meant reputation, not authority. But when you come down to it, it's not like Jaana is, say, a famous actress, who wants to break into rocket science. No, she's not famous or well-known at all. Her real problem isn't authority -- or the perception of authority, or reputation, or trust. It's not a question of image but reach. Her statistical chops are not at issue, only the size of her platform (readers, followers, fans). And she's working hard to fix that problem right now, using the "ebomb" strategy I teach in 30x500: Educate people, help them, and they will 1. read it, 2. share it, 3. remember you. As you can see, since we're discussing her post and people are saying how useful it is, this strategy works :) Now... if you have a platform already and you want to help people, serve people, and sell them something, and you're worried "They won't believe I have the experience!"... Don't try to sell a teaching product. Don't let it rest on your judgment. Don't use yourself. Instead, give them a tool that is "factual" -- "This is the math, just plug in your numbers" -- instead of based on opinion or your personal experience. This way you outsource the "judgment" to the end user of your tool. An alternate way is to do research and compile findings, and let the research speak its opinions instead of you. In that way, Jaana did take my advice. :)

nhangen 13y ago
Hey Amy, I'm referring to the expertise required to solve a given problem. There's a difference between selling a software product and an info product, and I'm sure you would agree. For example, you have the authority to teach 30x500 because you have created a successful business. The problem that I see with many students of courses like this, is that they want to sell the 'how-to' at the same time they are learning 'how-to.' I haven't read your course materials, nor have I looked at the SaaS-Compass product beyond this (http://saascompass.com/ http://saascompass.com/), but it looks like it's a strategy product, which means the author has to prove that he/she has the experience and authority required to help someone do what the course says it will do. I agree that taking yourself out is a great approach, but still, most prospects will want to know something about the author before they make their decision to buy/not-buy.