Pre-build SMB market surveys - Anyone had good results?

Gregg Berretta
2 replies
A potential investor asked us to do a survey of SMB customers despite the fact that we are pre-build. I'm a little reluctant to ask about what they want because I don't think they know what they want and because we can clearly see our competitors in the market ramping up very quickly. Has anyone done pre-build SMB market surveys? Did they enlighten and inform in a positive way? What was the best way to perform the survey? Which tools did you use? Thanks for any insights and or good/bad experiences.

Replies

Alyne Padilla
Have mixed thoughts on the potential investors ask and survey approach as opposed to prospect interviews, but putting those aside the purpose of the survey and the framing of the questions is important. You mentioned “asking what they want” which I’d steer away from as it’s a fast-track way to get feature requests without understanding the unique use cases or gathering valuable qualitative data. The why behind the investor asking (uncertainty over what’s being built, unclear understanding of problem statements, lack of qualitative/quantitative data and or both, etc.) is important to understand as well as you could end up doing a survey that you’re already hesitant on that doesn’t align with the insights the investor is looking for. All the best with your choice and next steps.