I have a big whiteboard where I write down notes about customer pipeline, and I thought I'd share with you. Seeing this every day gives me clarity and keeps me focused on what matters most to our business: customers. All caps represents each little section of the whiteboard.
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FULL LICENSES All our different customers licensing our product and shipping it in production. Under each customer I note the license structure, dollar amount, start date, and notes related to customer service.
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DEVELOPMENT LICENSES A new category for us. Customers who do pay to use Basis, but their product hasn't shipped yet so they only use it for R&D. They'll move to a full license when they're shipping but for now we cut them some financial slack. Common for startups.
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EVALUATIONS IN PROGRESS EVALUATIONS SIGNED, WAITING TO START EVALUATIONS SENT We like to give people a chance to try the product for free, and these sections are that pipeline of free evals. Notes on customer service, estimated dollar amount, and current status next to each one.
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IN TALKS Giant umbrella of all the potential customers not in the above buckets, with estimated $$ and notes under each one about current status. This section requires critical thinking. I network with hundreds of companies. I have to prioritize & decide who to follow up with.
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URGENT TO-DO LIST I circle any customers in red that need special attention, and make notes about any business to-dos that are *relevant to customers* here. My to-do list for general business tasks is infinite. There's always something to do. But customers take priority.
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PAYMENT CALENDAR Hooray, getting paid! When we expect payments to come in, clearly mapped out, so we can be sure to follow up with people if needed and plan our finances.
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And that's all. I know. It's a lot for a whiteboard, and I do keep more details on the computer. But a computer spreadsheet just isn't the same, the whiteboard ends up getting updated and looked at much more. Open to suggestions on different tools for managing this!
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And for the budding entrepreneurs out there: This has also been a source of optimism. There's no weekly paycheck, performance review, manager. So back when rejection was at every corner, I'd look at my whiteboard of potential customers daily & realize, "Hey, this is working!"
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You don't need a fancy office or top-notch marketing or a totally finished product or a large team. The only required ingredient for a successful business is customers that will bring you money. If you have that, you're doing well! Keep your eyes on what actually matters.
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Please send @Patreon this memo - apparently they missed it.
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