Description
Today’s guest was Google Enterprise’s Top Sales Executive in 2009. In 2012, he founded Badger Maps, the #1 route planner for field salespeople. Badger Maps to help field salespeople be more successful with multi-stop route planning. He also hosts the Outside Sales Talk podcast where he interviews industry experts on their top sales tips.
You will discover how he validated the idea, his line of questioning to make sure his prospects would actually pay for the product, and why you have to double the time you think your app is going to take to build and monetize.
Steve Benson is the Founder and CEO of Badger Maps.
Show Notes
Validating an Idea
Steve’s operating assumption when he is starting something is that he does not know something nearly as much as he does. Any assumptions that you make that you do not prove, they could very well be wrong and if you do not calibrate really well, you will end up far away from your goal. If you are a little bit off, you might as well be missing the target thereby you should calibrate carefully. It is important to not assume things and prove them out. Talk to 10 people who you feel are a good fit, then talk to 40 more.
Gaining Prospects Who Would Actually Pay for your Product
Before building a product, figure out if you are pointing at the right problem. The first thing you do, whether you are technical or not, is ask ‘Who has this problem the worst to a degree that they would actually pay for it?Is the problem big enough that they would actually pay to solve it?’Then talk and interact with these people and ensure that there are enough of them in the world. You can do this by emailing and calling people, asking inductions through friends, or activating your network. A founder needs these skills, they have to be able to know how to go after prospect users and get in front of them.
Show Mention
– Fav app: Google Docs: (iTunes | Google Play)