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We have just completed our first prototype and are now considering the online introduction process. Of course we are united as a company in the belief that we have a buzz worthy and remarkable "purple cow", but we are split on when to show/blog it to the public.

A) Should we wait until we can get some positive reviews, take orders and have inventory on hand and go for the big splash all at once ? (like the famous fruit company does it)

OR, B) Should we slowly introduce the product concept as "Coming soon" and take pre-orders, solicit additional partnerships or investors, other inputs ?

Some are afraid to do this because of potentially stirring up competition. Some think we could generate an initial following faster .... Are there different strategies or thoughts on this subject that are proven depending on the product type ? (Sorry for not revealing too much about the product)

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6 Answers

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Plan B! Get it out there as fast as you can and get feedback.

Your splash won't be as big as you think anyway. 99.9% of your customers would still be in your future.

Nevermind about competition. Anyone can compete with you at any time. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, another cool startup, open source, anything. Doesn't matter! Every software company on Earth faces that problem and is OK!

Remember your idea isn't right yet anyway. Only way to fix that is input. Otherwise you'll only be disappointed.

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up vote 5 down vote

I know two local businesses in a situation like yours. The one that took pre-sales option is the one that did okay:

Business 1) Admittedly a very good salesperson - started selling as soon as he had a 1 page printed mock-up. He offered discounts to customers that came on before the project launched and with that managed to close enough sales to cover the costs of his project plus advertising. (Unfortunately he was also an ADHD personality type and a few months later had moved on to a totally different business, abandoning what he'd started. Ce la vie.)

Business 2) Kept perfecting the prototype and felt that sales could not start until it was "perfect". This person was on a tight budget, yet kept increasing the scope to address 'better' ways of doing things, but also got more frustrated because scope changes delayed the launch and cost money. The extensive development process was eventually abandoned. Had this business gone with option B things might be quite different today.

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+1, great stories. – Jason Oct 11 '09 at 5:03
+1 - The examples always help, as I seem to have been on track of (2) so I will need to rethink the minimum features. – James Black Nov 16 '09 at 5:45
up vote 2 down vote

Being the first to go to market is critical, which means that plan B is the right choice.

Keep in mind of the network effect of online services, which means that the value of the service increases the more users it has exponentially. Any company can develop a twitter like website, but that won't help them because twitter was there first. If you get a buzz and a following, as you predict you can in plan B, it will give you an advantage over future competition. If you wait, someone else might come out with a similar product, and you will have to settle for seconds, assuming that the market even allows for that.

The potential competition you fear is already there, you are just not aware of that. Mark your territory, before someone else does it for you.

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Just want to add a reference to the "release early, release often" approach. Be the first to the market, and let your early customers help you develop in the right direction. As they see you improve, they will help drive the buzz around your business. – Tony Oct 11 '09 at 21:51
up vote 1 down vote

Release and iterate (and be prepared to pivot if necessary). Quoting some entrepreneurs smarter than myself: "Your idea might suck - so release it and find out." (@fennb)

You made a reference to Seth Godin's concept of a "Purple Cow". One of the key aspects of this idea is that you don't know if you have a purple cow until you release and find out. (If you have a purple cow, 'sneezers' will start talking about you.)

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up vote 0 down vote

Definitely B!

You have a prototype and are progressing. Get it up and generate some buzz about whats coming. Besides, it may help you tweak your final design based on feedback from users who are interested in your prototype.

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up vote 0 down vote

I'd advocate a variation on "Plan B"....it's one thing to market test a concept or an idea, and it's another to drive demand that you can't fill (yet). Your original question was around when to blog/launch your website and your online presence. If you're past the point of needing market validation and you're ready to take orders, and maybe make some small modification to the product, then Plan B makes sense. If you only have a product concept and you're looking for funding/market input then that feels to me like a different approach....so, what's your business strategy?

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