LeadMeNot · B2B2C · digital wellness and blocking app
Promise buyers a usage dashboard, show a mockup, then quickly build a demo
Sale closed before the dashboard existed; demo ready by the next meeting
Workedfeature-developmentoutbound-sales
What they did
When a prospect asked in the first conversation how they would know usage, first offered a CSV export from the database, then made a mock AI image of an admin platform, then hired an outsourced dev team in Sri Lanka to build it quickly, and showed a staging demo at the next meeting. The dashboard shows an org (e.g. Asbury) how many members use the app, how many blocking rules they created and how many have an accountability partner, fully anonymized. The host tells another founder the same: get the sale first, then build (e.g. a quick AI-built beta of a web version).
What happened
The sale came before the dashboard; a staging demo was ready by the next meeting and sending CSVs was dropped.
- Stage
- institutional sales
“Hey Jase, what came first, the dashboard or the sale?”
“Well, I'll I'll give you a CSV file out of our DB." And then it turned into, like, let me just do a mock AI image of like what an admin platform look like.”
“And then the next meeting I had, I pulled up a demo staging environment of the admin platform.”
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More from this episode
- LeadMeNot: Sell bulk app licenses to universities and churches to give their people5-6 universities and first churches signed in ~6 months; 5-7% of $108K ARR
- LeadMeNot: Pitch Christian universities and churches first, and lead openly with your faithEarly institutional wins are mostly faith-based universities; host calls it the easiest yes
- LeadMeNot: Pitch churches on 'digital wholeness' for their congregation, not porn blockingStill being tested; no numbers yet
- LeadMeNot: Give each organization a code members type in at the paywall for full access150 of 200 licenses redeemed on the spot at a campus talk; ~1 month of dev
- LeadMeNot: Charge organizations through a web payment link and pay 3%, not the app store cutOnly a 3% fee on institutional revenue
- LeadMeNot: Cold email organizations with your personal story and keep asking for 15 minutesAsbury's 200-license deal and most university deals came from cold outreach
- LeadMeNot: Ask your network, investors and every prospect to introduce you to other buyersOne ministry call produced three intros on the spot
- LeadMeNot: Offer a free 1-2 month pilot to a small group, with success goals agreed upfront3-5 of a 10-man church group found it helpful; elders want it church-wide
- LeadMeNot: Sign organizations for 12 months, and lock the price if they commit for 3 yearsNo renewal data yet; first contracts just signed or sent
- LeadMeNot: Charge early organizations little, to collect logos and stories rather than maximize revenueInstitutions are only 5-7% of ARR so far; partner logos now on the website
- LeadMeNot: Send partner schools ready-made campus marketing materials so students sign up
- LeadMeNot: Bid on a state agency's public request for gambling-blocking softwareAward still pending (decision by October 1)
- LeadMeNot: Quietly pitch the app to your own church while it is Android-onlyFailed: only two members used Android; waited for iOS and multi-device first
- LeadMeNot: Put up a hard paywall: monthly with no trial, free trial only on annualSome users paid $100 just to get past it; founder was surprised
- If fewer than 5% of installs start a trial, switch to a hard paywallHost's first move for such clients; niche hard-paywall apps reach 10-20% install-to-paid
- LeadMeNot: Grow an Android-only app with Google ads, then add Apple ads and MetaHost says Google alone hit revenue milestones; no figures; Meta not yet profitable