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Re:Sell it before you build it by ryanwaggoner on Saturday March 28, 2009 @05:32PM (#536804)
This is a really interesting idea, but I'd like to see more examples with some actual data. For example, how many people check the box? Of those, how many actually sign up when the service is available?
Re:Sell it before you build it by Alex3917 on Saturday March 28, 2009 @06:22PM (#536849)
This is pretty standard advice actually. The reason you don't hear more about it on HN is because most of the case studies are B2B startups, and HN seems to be less interested in those. The obvious example that comes to mind is DOS.

Another good example is a guy I met who started a business putting pro sports logos on car seats. First he went to the national retail chains and got them to order a hundred thousand units. Then once he made the sale he used it to get the rights from the sports leagues to use their logos. Only then did he go out and find a manufacturer, and by then he was already guaranteed to make money on the deal. So his only startup costs were a couple weeks making phone calls, and he made a ton of money.

Re:Sell it before you build it by rjurney on Saturday March 28, 2009 @06:57PM (#536881)
'Sell before you build' is an old saw, but the 'coming soon/contact' landing page metric I had not heard before, and its great because its a very simply algorithm for developers to follow to arrive at a successful product.
Re:Sell it before you build it by aaroniba on Saturday March 28, 2009 @07:20PM (#536900)
We're currently doing this for EtherPad. We added a "pricing" tab to our homepage, but we don't have any prices yet, just a sign up form. So far (2 weeks in), about 100 companies have signed up to hear more about our for-sale version.
Re:Sell it before you build it by skmurphy on Sunday March 29, 2009 @02:55AM (#537184)
As someone who has been interested in paying for a SaaS or Hosted version of Etherpad since January it's been annoying.

Because I plan to use it with my customers I knew I wanted to pay for a supported SaaS/hosted version. I have been surprised that we have been unable to have any meaningful discussion about it. I know that one interested user doesn't constitute a market, but I was dismayed with the lack of meaningful engagement beyond we will notify you when it's ready.

I think the part that's was left out of the Venture Hacks article was when someone tells you they want to buy it, have a conversation with them to understand how they plan to use it and how they value it (what are the alternatives that they are comparing it against).

Re:Sell it before you build it by menloparkbum on Saturday March 28, 2009 @06:29PM (#536854)
This is very common in the apparel industry. You make a few samples and a catalog, then see which stuff in the catalog gets the most interest before having it manufactured.
Re:Sell it before you build it by skmurphy on Sunday March 29, 2009 @03:00AM (#537188)
This happens a lot with chips: you will generate a set of "preliminary" data sheets for potential products and see which get interest. It allows you to have a conversation with a potential buyer that's more useful (or at least as useful as) starting from a blank sheet of paper and asking them what they want.