My beta customer wants software for free
- posted by: TWilly on 2016-12-29
- tagged:
tech-company
- score: 6
Our company is running a SASS business.
We asked an early beta customer to start paying us. We give all users a 30 day free trial, but this user feels that he is entitled to free software since he helped with bug testing and initial feature requests.
We’ve implemented many of his initial ideas and he’s getting a lot of value out of those.
How do we convince this customer that he should start paying without causing bad feelings.
Answer 11801
- posted by: SRDC on 2016-12-29
- score: 10
Depending on the initial agreement, and the market you’re in, your beta customer may have a point.
Look at it from his side
- he took a risk on your company instead of an established company
- he has gone through the pain / problems / etc of all your bug testing
- those initial features that you added ‘for him’ were features that were lacking that he might have been able to get elsewhere (depends on your service)
- it’s largely irrelevant that he chose to beta-test at least partially to save money - what else would motivate him to take the risk?
- people want to feel like part of the original team - they typically don’t like getting relegated back to being a ‘normal user’
- Also, consider that it may just be a good thing to keep a motivated ‘customer’ that continually adds feedback & bug tests new releases. Giving them free access to your software is pretty cheap in return
Show him your side & make it mutually beneficial
- he probably isn’t thinking about your costs for server space, etc.
- maybe you can make an offer, where he pays a small fee to cover your actual operating costs, less labor, etc.
- perhaps engage him in marketing - in exchange for telling his network about it, doing a case study with him, etc
- make a more formal agreement - he gets a super deal, in exchange for actual agreement to test your new features, participate in user feedback sessions, sit on a user review board, etc
- in other words, can you find a solution where he helps you out in at least somewhat defined ways, to not only test but market, in exchange for free/at-cost rates for him? This could convert a potentially upset initial client to a significant asset to your company.
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