Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice

Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by adyer07 on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @10:38AM (#27195157)

Looking at your website - I don't climb, but I used to use chalk for powerlifting - I desperately want to see photos of HANDS! My immediate question was "what is chalk cream", and that makes me want to see the product in use. Does it turn your hands white? Is it powdery? How could a wet cream do the same thing as dry chalk powder? This seems like a really tactile product, so I want photos that help me understand it on a tactile level. The mountain photos are beautiful but don't sell the product. The photos of tubes could be renders for all I know.

You could also try signing up for HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and scanning for outdoors or climbing-related pitch opportunities. A lot of the posts on there are trash but there's the occasional good one.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by a13n on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @12:06PM (#27196632)

Agreed! I found myself looking for a video demoing your product or showing the difference between typical chalk.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by gadders on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @11:02AM (#27195562)

Agreed. I use chalk in the gym as well, and I'd like to see a picture of it to see how it's different from what people use currently.

As an aside, I was caught without chalk the other day and bought some liquid chalk from a climbing shop. I quite liked it as thicker than usual - more like a moisturiser than a pourable liquid.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by c1sc0 on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @12:28PM (#27197087)

Yeah. We worked on making the chalk "thicker" than the cheap brands because smell + texture influences quality perception the most. For the crystal chalk the different formula allows us to get rid of the "alcohol" smell. We even tried adding fragrance but that was a failed experiment, may revisit that later.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by gadders on Wednesday May 19, 2021 @06:53AM (#27206886)

One other liquid chalk aspect you could maybe lean into - the alcohol must be a natural hand sanitiser. Obviously less of an issue for rock climbers, but might be a selling point for gym goers if that point could be emphasised or enhanced in the formula.]

Best of luck with the business!

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by c1sc0 on Friday May 21, 2021 @05:45AM (#27232095)

We researched this & making hand sanitising claims would put is in the "biocide" category of products in the EU, which comes with a whole new bag of certification headaches. At best we can say something like "has light antibacterial properties".

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by flybrand on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @11:59AM (#27196472)

I agree - lifting could be a tangential market that is actually bigger.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by c1sc0 on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @12:04PM (#27196589)

Yes. That's on our radar. Gyms are closed at the moment because of COVID so that's on the back-burner. We want to niche down on climbers first.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by sokoloff on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @12:12PM (#27196736)

Gyms are open in some places now and will be open in many more places six and sixteen weeks from now.

It's fine (and smart) to be thoughtful about focusing on a niche, but don't do it because gyms are closed.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by JohnicBoom on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @05:50PM (#27201699)

Don't forget that a lot of us have weights or other exercise setups at home now. I would definitely try something as an alternative to powdered chalk to keep my palms from getting slippery on my equipment. Especially now that summer is coming and I mostly train outside when I can.

Also, at least in Chicago, gyms have been open for months. They have reduced maximum capacity (I think it's 60% right now), but they were only closed for a short time. You may be severely artificially limiting your sales possibilities.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by stevewodil on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @08:41PM (#27203219)

For most at-home exercises a pair of lifting gloves would be good enough

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by armonraphiel on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @04:54PM (#27200951)

This is worth consideration. Many lifters who use chalk have spent money on building a home gym or attend gyms are open despite COVID restrictions.

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by ecesena on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @07:28PM (#27202647)

We've been training in a soccer field set up for social-distancing training. I wouldn't make assumptions :)

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by lowestprimate on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @07:30PM (#27202666)

Another interesting area of need is pole dancing chalk

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Re:Ask HN: Desperately need “sales for nerds” advice by konfusinomicon on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @09:04PM (#27203382)

Now that right there is a niche market ripe for the picking!

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