So, I earned $15,354 on AppSumo. Here are 3 reasons why I won't ever do that again ๐
Alexander Isora ๐ฆ
2 replies
1/3 Crazy commission.
I wasnโt able to find out the exact amount of the commission because they made it shady. But people say it is 70%.
Don't get me wrong! Iโm OK with giving a cut for having new clients. My affiliate programs have always been ~50% more generous than the average market.
But hey. They just took all my money lol ๐
2/3 Low-quality clients.
People come to AppSumo NOT for products.
They come for bargains. For the emotions of buying something crazy cheap ๐ค
These people are not product guys. They are gamblers.
If you are making SaaS you want to avoid this audience AT ALL COST. These people wonโt contribute good to your community.
They will ask you for more and more features and integrations because they want to have a cheap 1000-in-1 tool to pay less.
They will complain a lot because they feel like you are obliged to them.
They will ask a lot of questions and never read guides.
The most important, they will distract you from what your real audience need.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not blaming these people or calling them bad. I'm blaming AppSumo which was designed to encourage this behavior.
3/3 Crazy churn.
Out of 210 sales, 71 people asked for a refund.
33%! ๐ฌ
It means people bought it because they were under heavy emotions or misled. They did not want it really.
Or they just wanted to trick me. All this sounds unhealthy.
I need people who are genuinely interested in my product. People who want it to become better. The ones who will support me and my work. These people are the foundation of my SaaS.
AppSumo gives you gelatin instead of concrete for your foundation ๐ซค
About LTDs in general:
Although I disliked my AppSumo experience, I adore the idea of selling SaaS LTD and I will do that again for Paracast.io. It is a great way to build an initial audience around your product and get a cash injection.
If I sell an LTD today, Iโd do it in a standalone format: on my own page with my own rules. Yes, it is harder, but if you sell it properly, you will get enough cash and a healthy user base.
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Originally posted on my blog and on my ๐.
Replies
Robin Good@robingood
Thanks once more for sharing such good advice Alexander. 70% commission is unheard of and churn and low-quality quality clients are very important points as well.
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