Lessons from real Double Sprint audit case studies: part #2

Here is a set of SaaS startup projects that are more advanced but still far from the finish line. Critical areas (red color) don't necessarily mean something bad. It's just a much higher uncertainty and increased risk. Let's review a few of the cases and take what resonates with your situation.

Case Study #5

While this SaaS startup has done almost everything on the tech side, any of these steps might need to be redone if we get critical feedback from the market. We will have to adjust or even pivot the main value proposition.

Critical areas:

?? Not clear what’s the main goal and value of using this SaaS.

?? Not sure which market segment cares most and could benefit most.

?? Not a single discovery interview with target users.

?? The chosen free channels are a possible critical point of failure.

Next steps:

?? Do much deeper research on who might be the best early adopters of this SaaS (the problem you are addressing).

?? Check a broader scope of alternative solutions and would dig deeper into feature and value comparison.

?? Create a compelling message telling what’s included in the main offer and how beneficial it is.

?? A short (30-60 sec.) explainer video for B2B customers would be helpful as well.

Useful tips:

??In the ideal case I would try to pre-sale platform credits that are 3x or even 10x the value of what they would pay regularly. It would serve as at least an initial traction proof.

?? I wouldn’t hope for miracle results from sending cold emails to people who are unaware of your SaaS which is yet under development. It’s not necessary to be so, but more often than not, such an approach falls into a “hope marketing” category. We hope it will work well but what’s our plan B if it doesn’t? You got to have another trick in your pocket just in case.

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Case Study #6

This SaaS startup tapped into every step of the Double Sprint method. Founders already have a tech solution and a list of additional features. But, according to what I’ve heard and seen during the audit there are a few critical areas that need the most attention.

Critical areas:

?? The value proposition should be wrapped up in a simple and catchy marketing message.

?? Customer acquisition costs are unknown, and no marketing experiments done yet.

?? Expected average customer lifetime value is not estimated.

?? Pre-sell is not done. The whole investment is backed only by mutually expressed interest but without any commitment.

Next steps:

?? I‘d like to dig deeper into the customer loyalty and retention metrics. The platform is not launched yet so there is no data. But I‘d look for industry benchmarks to have an impression of what to expect.

?? We came to a new and quite interesting value proposition during the Double Sprint audit. I would test it with all target segments to see if it resonates.

?? As this SaaS has a two-sided marketplace aspect, it would be good to define two (or even three) business models on separate sheets of LEAN canvas.

?? I would do at least 5-10 additional interviews with B2B prospects and try to understand how much value these features would bring them.

?? Pre-sell could be done quite actively right now and even without a significant marketing budget.

Case Study #7

During the call, we discussed only non-confidential information about this startup. Some questions were left untouched. Therefore, I had to evaluate some of the Double Sprint steps by making a guess at some level.

Critical areas:

?? Pricing and sales process are lagging behind the development.

?? Very extensive list of features desired by customers. Very long "wishlist" without any commitment to pay for it.

?? Consequently the estimated development costs are fluctuating significantly.

Next steps:

?? Prepare marketing material for B2B sales meetings

?? Get at least a couple of pre-sales in the private sector as soon as possible.

?? Validate the future list for further development (don't build anything that customers aren't willing to pay for)

Useful tip:

?? Don't hurry to give a promise that you will build any feature that potential customers are asking for. Build the "wishlist" but don't PAY for implementing it until you have a solid commitment from customers.

Case Study #8

Founders have a track of success with the previous software project which was sold 10+ years ago. But the current situation is different from that a decade ago. Founders are building a new SaaS in a different but related niche.

Critical areas:

?? Market research just scratches the surface.

?? Software is already under development without testing a mockup or wireframe with potential users.

?? Founders think that professional design is just a waste of time and money. They haven't even considered UX design.

?? Chosen pricing strategy (199$/user annual fee) brings this startup into the “price trap”.

?? Haven’t done any pre-sell yet.

Next steps:

?? Target customer segment should be more specific. I would even define 5-7 different customer segments and then try to approach them and test the marketing message and different channels. It doesn’t require as much time as most founders think.

?? Do competitor research to create a plan on how you will build your unfair competitive advantage.

?? Identify who might be your distribution partners. I would look for somebody who is already working with your target audience and would love to get a decent lifetime affiliate commission on selling your software.

?? Find the right message and prepare a plan B for testing. Test messages with lead generation experiments or at least some customer interviews.

Useful tips:

?? Professional graphic and UX design today is a MUST, especially if you want to make your software international. Therefore I would hire a professional UX designer to create the front end.

?? Before investing 5 - 9 months of coding, I would spend a couple of days preparing a wireframe (i.e., with Claritee, Pidoco, or any other tool) and do a few calls via Zoom with potential users to discuss if the concept resonates with them.

Want to do the Double Sprint audit of your SaaS project?

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Schedule it here: https://doublesprintmethod.com/audit