We ALL like to pay as little as possible but we're happy to pay $4 for a latte from Starbucks because a, caffeinated beverage is worth more than that at that time and to that person. Prove the value. Prove that your software is worth (either saving them money or making them money) 2X or 5X or 1...
We both know that hosting is very application specific, and that quality of service varies drastically between providers, yet you'll always find individuals who treat it as a mere commodity. The true value of the host isn't predicated just on their performance characteristics, but also their acce...
It's certainly been an effective tactic and I'd caution you that I don't think the examples you use are counting these people as customers per se but more as trying to solve issues related to two-sided marketplaces. These businesses are trying to prove their worth as effective lead-gen tools fo...
This is hard to answer without knowing the size of company you are targeting...
Narrow down the type of SaaS app/industry targeted to 3 so you can focus. Then experiment until you find the best way to reach their potential users. When something works, duplicate it. The biggest pain point for any startup, including SaaS, is "how do I get customers".
I once faced a similar issue - I needed a CRM that could also manage the production of standardized proposals and track them from creation through sending and the client acceptance / revision / rejection stages and then create a project and assign resources dynamically. All the systems at the ...
Whenever you assign them a task, break down the task into small chunks. Make the chunks as small as you can (within reason, and to the extent that your knowledge allows), and tell your devs that if any chunks seem large, that they should further break those chunks down into bite size pieces. Fo...
I'd highly recommend that you read http://saastr.quora.com/. Jason has written extensively on this subject and knows of what he speaks.
You need a CRM system that manages incoming leads. I am a beta tester for Salesformics.com and Stewart there will give you an awesome walk-through.
Yes, my agency uses 4-5 freelancers at any given time. We create marketing and social strategy plans for freelancers, consultants, and experts. I'm happy to connect, if you'd like. Best of luck, -Shaun