This document discusses the importance of building customer-driven products and outlines ways to improve a company's customer development process. It notes that acquiring customers is getting more difficult due to increased competition and saturation in the market. To build better products, companies need to understand their buyers through techniques like buyer personas, customer development conversations, and testing. Data shows that focusing on retention and monetization has a bigger impact on growth than acquisition alone. The document provides examples of frameworks to quantify buyer preferences, willingness to pay, and develop stronger persona-product fits to ensure companies are building products their target customers truly value.

1. How to build actual customer driven
product
Turing Festival 2016
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2. http://www.priceintelligently.com/turing
Patrick@priceintelligently.com
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3. Building product is getting harder, not
easier…and it’s going to increase in
difficulty.
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4. The age of throwing shit against the
wall and seeing what sticks is over.
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5. Who in the world are you?
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6. Happy customers big and small
ProfitWell
SaaS pricing
software and tech
enabled services
Free financial
metrics for
subscription
businesses
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7. We’ve seen inside more software
companies than anyone else on the planet.
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8. The market is becoming saturated.
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9. Our world is more competitive, making
switching costs easier.
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10. Competition is growing
N = 289 SaaS companies, +/- 3.44% MoE at 95% level
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
5 Years Ago 3 Years Ago 1 Year Ago Today
#ofCompetitors How many competitors did you have during the following periods?
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11. Competition is here
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
0 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 10 11+
%ofRespondents
How many competitors do you current have?
(Companies around for less than 1 year)
N = 547 software companies
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12. The relative value of features is
declining, making a race to the bottom
for feature based pricing.
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13. “Differentiation” isn’t what is used to
be…
N = Varies by line, but minimum of 10,000 customer respondents per line
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
125%
4 Years Ago 3 Years Ago 2 Years Ago 1 Year Ago Today
WTPas%ofWTP4YearsAgo
Willingness to pay over time relative to WTP 4 years ago
Core Features Single Sign On Integrations Analytics
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14. CAC is increasing over time.
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15. Acquiring a customer is getting pricier
N = Varies by line, but minimum of 453 companies per data point
-25%
0%
25%
50%
75%
4 Years Ago 3 Years Ago 2 Years Ago 1 Year Ago Today
CACas%ofCAC4YearsAgo
Blended CAC relative to four years ago
B2B B2C
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16. “Good”, “Customer driven” product is
becoming exceptionally more
important
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17. We’re really ill equipped for the
transition.
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18. We don’t really know our buyers
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19. Buyer Personas
Table Stakes Tony
• Valued features:
• SFDC Integration
• Chrome extension
• Least valued features
• Analytics
• API access
• WTP = ~$10/month
• CAC = ~$22
• LTV: $160
Advanced Arnie
• Valued features:
• Analytics
• API Access
• Least valued features
• Chrome extension
• Premium support
• WTP = ~$25/month
• CAC = ~$56
• LTV: $325
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20. We don’t know our buyers that well
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Thought about them Central document Quantified buyer personas
%ofRespondents
Which single category best describes your buyer personas?
N = 1,647 software companies
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21. We don’t do a lot of cust dev
conversations
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Less than 10 11 to 25 26 to 50 51+
%ofRespondents
# of cust dev conversations
How many cust dev conversations are you having per month?
N = 1,647 software companies
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22. We don’t send any cust dev surveys
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
0 1 2 3+
%ofRespondents
# of cust dev surveys
How many cust dev surveys are you sending each month?
N = 1,647 software companies
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23. We aren’t truly testing that much
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
0 1 to 3 4 to 10 11+
%ofRespondents
# of tests/experiments
How many tests or experiments are you running each month?
N = 1,647 software companies
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24. We’re obsessed with acquisition.
Like stalker level obsessed.
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25. Looked at 25,679 blog posts.
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26. We love talking about
acquisition
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Acquisition Monetization Retention
%oftotalarticles
Category of growth articles written from 2014 to 2106
N = 25,679 blog posts written between 2014 to 2016
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27. Looked at 6,324 B2B companies
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28. We love building for
acquisition
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Acquisition Monetization Retention
%oftotalcompanies
Category of B2B SaaS companies
N = 6,324 companies currently active
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29. These are just the acquisition companies
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30. Asked Founders/Executives
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31. What’s most important?
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
More logos Making more money per
customer
Keeping customers around
longer
%oftotalcompanies
C-Level/Founder Growth Preferences
N = 1,432 SaaS companies, +/- 2.19% MoE at 95% level
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32. What’s most important?
N = 1,218 SaaS companies, +/- 2.61% MoE at 95% level
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Acquisition Monetization Retention
%oftotalcompanies
C-Level/Founder Spend Their Time
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33. If we improve each lever by the same
amount, which lever causes the most
growth?
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34. Impact of improving each
growth lever
3.32%
0%
5%
10%
15%
Acquisition Monetization Retention
%impactonthebottomline
Impact of improving each lever by 1%
N = 578 SaaS companies, +/- 2.89% MoE at 95% level
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35. Impact of improving each
growth lever
3.32%
6.71%
0%
5%
10%
15%
Acquisition Monetization Retention
%impactonthebottomline
Impact of improving each lever by 1%
N = 578 SaaS companies, +/- 2.89% MoE at 95% level
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36. Impact of improving each
growth lever
3.32%
12.70%
6.71%
0%
5%
10%
15%
Acquisition Monetization Retention
%impactonthebottomline
Impact of improving each lever by 1%
N = 578 SaaS companies, +/- 2.89% MoE at 95% level
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37. Improving retention and monetization
has 2-4x the impact of focusing on
acquisition.
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38. What we find important
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
More logos Making more money per
customer
Keeping customers around
longer
%oftotalcompanies
C-Level/Founder Growth Preferences
N = 1,432 SaaS companies
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39. What works for growth
3.32%
12.70%
6.71%
0%
5%
10%
15%
Acquisition Monetization Retention
%impactonthebottomline
Impact of improving each lever by 1%
N = Data from 512 companies
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40. This should be scary.
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41. Everything aligns to the customer
Point of Conversion
Drive Customer #1
Offer Product #1
Offer Product #2
Drive Customer #2
Drive Customer #3
Offer Product #3
Justify price #1
Justify price #2
Justify price #3
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42. How do we fix our customer
development?
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43. 3 ways to better monetization
• Quantify your buyer personas
• Implement a customer development process
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44. Persona-Product Fit
Table Stakes Tony
• Valued features:
• SFDC Integration
• Chrome extension
• Least valued features
• Analytics
• API access
• WTP = ~$10/month
• CAC = ~$22
• LTV: $160
Advanced Arnie
• Valued features:
• Analytics
• API Access
• Least valued features
• Chrome extension
• Premium support
• WTP = ~$25/month
• CAC = ~$56
• LTV: $325
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45. If you don’t know who you’re driving to
your product, how do you know what
build?
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46. Let’s walk through an example…
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47. ProfitWell
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48. “Oh you’re like….”
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49. “Oh you’re like….”
37 Other
Competitors
(we know about)
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50. Persona-Product Fit
Startup Steve
• Valued features:
•
•
• Least valued features
•
•
• WTP = ~$/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
Miderprise Marty
• Valued features:
•
•
• Least valued features
•
•
• WTP = ~$/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
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51. Go to the customer!
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52. For the love of God. Talk to your
customer.
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53. Great. How do we do that?
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54. 1
2
3
Your Process at a High
Level
Buyer Personas
and Design
1
Data Collection
And Segmentation
2
1
2
3
4
Data Consolidation
And Analysis
3
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55. Persona-Product Fit
Startup Steve
• Valued features:
•
•
• Least valued features
•
•
• WTP = ~$/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
Miderprise Marty
• Valued features:
•
•
• Least valued features
•
•
• WTP = ~$/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
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56. Experimental Design
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57. What type of info do we want?
• Demographic Information
– How often do you look at your metrics? Team size? Revenue?...
• Feature/Packaging Information
– Which metrics? What features? Value props?...
• Pricing Information
– How much are they willing to pay? What frequency do they want to
pay?...
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58. Relative Preference
Analysis
Statistical methodology to
measure preferences for features,
intention, and value propositions
Your Customer Development Toolkit
Price Sensitivity Analysis
Proven model for gauging
customer’s willingness to pay and
price sensitivity
Experimental Design
Properly segmenting and breaking down the data.
How do we ask the questions?
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59. What do people value?
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60. “Please rank the following
features on a scale of 1 to
10…”
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Accuracy of your metrics
Actionability from your metrics
Beautiful Design
Depth of your metrics
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61. @PriceIntel

62. What do your customers
value the most?
More on: Relative Preference Analysis
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63. What do your customers
value the most?
More on: Relative Preference Analysis
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64. What do your customers
value the most?
More on: Relative Preference Analysis
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65. Your Experimental Design
More on: Relative Preference Analysis
Main Category
Support
• Phone
• Live Chat
• Email
• …
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66. Your Experimental Design
More on: Relative Preference Analysis
Main Category
Support
• Phone
• Live Chat
• Email
• …
Data in
Integrations
Metric Types
Data out
Integrations
Action Tools
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67. Your Experimental Design
More on: Relative Preference Analysis
Main Category
Support
• Phone
• Live Chat
• Email
• …
Data in
Integrations
Metric Types
Data out
Integrations
Action Tools
All Demographics and Personas
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68. Persona-Product Fit
Startup Steve
• Valued features:
• Price
• Design
• Least valued features
• Actionabiltiy
• Depth
• WTP = ~$/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
Miderprise Marty
• Valued features:
• Accuracy
• Uptime
• Least valued features
• Price
• Design
• WTP = ~$/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
@PriceIntel

69. Relative Preference
Analysis
Statistical methodology to
measure preferences for features,
intention, and value propositions
Your Customer Development Toolkit
Price Sensitivity Analysis
Proven model for gauging
customer’s willingness to pay and
price sensitivity
Experimental Design
Properly segmenting and breaking down the data.
How do we ask the questions?
@PriceIntel

70. How much are they willing to pay?
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71. Basic Plus Premium
$49 $149 $299
I only have one cool
feature.
The same cool feature. Yup, same one.
Oh! You can only get
this here.
Well…and here.
Huzzah! I’m the plan
with absolutely
everything.
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72. • At what (monthly) price point does [PRODUCT] become too
expensive that you’d never consider purchasing it?
• At what (monthly) price point does [PRODUCT] start to become
expensive, but you’d still consider purchasing it?
• At what (monthly) price point does [PRODUCT] a really good
deal?
• At what (monthly) price point does [PRODUCT] too cheap that
you question the quality of it?
More on: Relative Price Sensitivity Meter
How much are your
customers willing to pay?
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73. How much are your
customers willing to pay?
More on: Relative Price Sensitivity Meter
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74. WTP for SaaS Metrics
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$0 - $50k $51k - $100k $101k - $250k $251k - $500k $501k+
WTP
Size of Company (MRR)
WTP for a SaaS Metrics Solution
N = 234 companies
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75. Persona-Product Fit
Startup Steve
• Valued features:
• Price
• Design
• Least valued features
• Actionabiltiy
• Depth
• WTP = ~$50/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
Miderprise Marty
• Valued features:
• Accuracy
• Uptime
• Least valued features
• Price
• Design
• WTP = ~$150-250/month
• CAC = ~$
• LTV: $
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76. Persona-Product Fit
Startup Steve
• Valued features:
• Price
• Design
• Least valued features
• Actionabiltiy
• Depth
• WTP = ~$50/month
• CAC = ~$500-600
• LTV: $600
Miderprise Marty
• Valued features:
• Accuracy
• Uptime
• Least valued features
• Price
• Design
• WTP = ~$150-250/month
• CAC = ~$3000
• LTV: $1500
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77. WTP for Churn Recovery
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
$4,500
$0 - $50k $51k - $100k $101k - $250k $251k - $500k $501k+
WTP
Size of Company (MRR)
WTP for a Recovering Churn
N = 234 companies
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78. WTP for Rev Rec
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$0 - $50k $51k - $100k $101k - $250k $251k - $500k $501k+
WTP
Size of Company (MRR)
WTP for a Revenue Recognition
N = 234 companies
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79. A good entry point
Low CAC
with constant
value
Creates the
Requirement
Path to Share
of Wallet
ProfitWell
Financial metrics for the subscription economy
100% accurate
SaaS metrics for
free integrating
1-click with your
billing system
Central fulcrum
to cust success,
sales, finance,
marketing e-
team, and rest of
stakeholders
Allows interface
to clearly point
to problems and
reinforce value
of paid add-ons
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80. Our current monetization
path
ProfitWell
Financial metrics for the subscription economy
Retain Rec Revenue
Delinquent credit
card recovery
through email, in-
app snippet, and
optimization
Algorithmically
solved 2-3 days
of work amongst
accounting and
finance team
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81. 12 hours total.
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82. 12 hours total. $2089.
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83. Implement a customer development
process
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84. Your Cust Dev Process
Customer/Market
Research
Communication
Plan
Week:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Impact
Analysis
Customer
Advisory
Panel
Implement
Changes
Step:
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85. Customers matter.
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86. Building a company is getting harder;
make it easier on yourself.
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87. http://www.priceintelligently.com/turing
Patrick@priceintelligently.com
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