Launching 🚀
As some of you already know, I launched my MVP last month! While there still are some minor kinks to iron out, I'm incredibly proud to have shipped something, especially in this timeframe. Part of my time has now switched to sales. "How has that been going?" you're wondering. Not great. In today's post, we'll dive into some of that and what my next steps are.
What "sales" has been like
I have never done B2B sales before, and as I said in my previous post, I was ready to be humbled. Not only have I not hit my goals (one gym and one personal trainer), but I also don't feel much closer to closing anyone right now.
My approach so far has only been cold email outreach, arguably the hardest sales tactic. While I've followed the advice on B2B outreach from this YC video of writing personalized emails I'd be willing to read, I've found that most emails get ignored. The response rate has been abysmal, and the few who responded said they weren't interested as they were using an existing, though pretty bad, white-labeled solution.
This response was probably the scariest because even though their solution is mediocre (their app has only 5 ratings on the App Store with a 3.5-star average and comments saying it's buggy), it shows one of two things: either this isn't a big enough pain point for them, or I haven't made my value proposition clear. Not being a significant enough pain is scary, as it means people already using this solution will be much harder to sell to.
On a more personal note, putting a lot of effort into an outreach email that gets ignored is also demoralizing. Writing personalized emails takes me time, especially as writing is a muscle I'm still working on (this Substack being part of my "exercise" routine). Still, I'm getting notably better at it. In any case, I don't blame the recipient for ignoring the emails. One who responded told me they receive 10-15 such outreach a day and find it easier to ignore them all.
What's the plan
As things are going right now, I clearly have to switch gears. The first thing I'll do before the end of this week is add sections on my landing page explaining Vis Pro's value proposition for the different verticals I'm targeting (gyms and personal trainers). I'll also improve the tracking of outreach email links, as right now, I don't know who clicks links on my emails.
Next up, I'll work on inbound demand. As the YC video I linked above mentions, the best way to reach customers is to have them reach out to me. My plan to do this is twofold:
Start a blog about the business of fitness.
Create "How-To" videos on YouTube about using Vis Pro.
The main idea with those is to put Vis out there and start establishing a brand presence. This will be an ongoing effort that will take time, so I better start now.
However, the most significant change going forward is a change in strategy, namely switching the focus from B2B to B2C.
Don't call it a pivot
While I'll still devote some energy to selling to gyms and personal trainers, I will focus most of my time going forward on building Vis's B2C offering. This means creating a standalone iOS workout app incorporating many popular workouts, such as 5/3/1, Starting Strength, PPL, etc. The plan is to have a freemium offering, with the base app being free but charging for access to the program editor and other features.
The part I found the hardest with Five/Three/One was getting enough downloads and reviews so that my app shows up high enough in the search results to be seen. I believe that by leveraging my existing user base, I can get a significant amount of downloads, which should help me rank high enough in important search terms.
I wouldn't call this a pivot, as the B2C offering was part of the plan all along, just further out. However, having an existing B2C user base will help bring credibility to my B2B offering, so why not get started on this right now?
Parting Words
I expected the business part to be challenging, and it is. But with just over 2 years of runway left, I'm still feeling confident. As usual, I want to say a huge thanks to all of you out there supporting me. From simply "liking" my posts on LinkedIn to referring me to people you know. It all matters to me.
Thank you!
Gab