Offer an app or a service that does not yet exist

How can you offer or describe your app when it does not yet exist? A nonexisting app is pretty hard to demonstrate, so how will customers be made aware of it, and how will they know why they should get the app? They somehow have to find out that there is an (concept) app that solves the problems they are experiencing. Here, the funny thing is that your app itself is not really that important. Sorry, your app alone is not the product. It is just a vehicle for your users to get something done. Show a slideshow or a video that explains what your app does and why it can help solve their problem. This can be just as convincing. You will get their attention and if you are doing really well, you will get their pre-orders right away.

If you do not have the skills to create a great video, or if you are in need of a logo or any other design, then have a look at https://www.fiverr.com/. They have many freelance designers who can help you. Another website that you can look at is https://99designs.com/.

A video or presentation is not really that different from an MVP, right? Well, it is one, although in this example we are testing the product-market fit-related hypotheses, instead of the product-solution fit-related hypotheses. Every startup owner, regardless of his or her role, has to do sales and be able to sell stuff before it even exists. That is not lying and it is not even faking. It is a creative way of promising a solution for known problems.

However, don't ever fake testimonials or lie about the number of customers or make things ten times bigger than they are. Keep things real. Instead, work on a great reputation, become an expert, create a very convincing website and include a feature list, even when it has not been completed yet. To show that people can trust your company, also add a company policy link with terms and conditions. Add pricing tables to your website, even when you are not yet ready to sell. It is never too early to measure (revenue) traction. In Chapter 15, Growing Traction and Improving Retention, we will learn how we can measure traction and in Chapter 17, Monetization and Pricing Strategy, you will be able to read more about pricing strategies.