How I Went from Single to “It’s Complicated” with a SAAS Company
In honor of Valentine’s Day passing recently I am going to talk about a “dating” experience I had with one SAAS company that hopefully will serve as a wakeup call for the other companies out there that are doing the same thing. I will not disclose any real company names to protect the innocent.
It all started when I decided that I was looking for software to help make my life simpler specifically in the world of email. I had a friend recommend Company A based on their own experiences. I needed to do a very specific task that Company A could potentially make easier so I was pretty excited to see what they had to offer. When I got to Company A’s page, I watched some videos which explained the features and the service, I read some testimonials, and then I decided that Company A had what I was looking for so I looked for a place to sign up. I was only able to find a page to “request a demo” so I put my information in. Now from all of the videos I had watched, it seemed pretty clear how the service would work and what I’d be doing if I used it. I also knew that there was a company B who had a very similar service. I requested the demo and, as most people would expect, expected an automatic email to send me to a link to sign up. Instead there was no automatic email. About an hour later I got an email from someone asking me to set up a time with them the following day to hop on the phone and do a demo.
Now, if you know me, you know that I am probably the toughest to reach by phone. I am really bad at voicemail and rarely ever answer. If someone sets up a time to chat with me via phone I will always do it, but setting one up takes time. I was looking to use the service that night and I had a deadline so when I got that email it made my life more complicated. I instantly went to the page for Company B. They had a free trial sign up button.
I clicked on it and within minutes I was using their service instead.
Company A tried to get me on the phone which is arguably an easier way to sell someone, but when you have a service that is almost the same as someone else’s the easier you make it to use your service the more likely you are going to get the customer. So if you run a SAAS company or if you are in the sales department of one think about all of the singles that are coming to check you out. Don’t put up the “It’s Complicated” message unless you want people to stay away. I’m now using Company B’s service and, when my free trial is up, I will likely buy a year subscription. I got a message from Company A yesterday asking me when I’m ready to set up that demo. My answer?
Never.
We used to live in a world where there were very few choices of services and now we live in one where there are infinite choices. The more complicated you make it for us to choose you, the less likely we will.
Sometimes your barrier to entry is too high.
That’s when we just go next door.
Excelsior!
