One of the old startup adages that rings true, yet can be hard to appreciate, is “build something people want.” Why wouldn’t an entrepreneur build something people want? I’ve been there, building things no one wants, and the answer is simple: I thought I was right and other people would eventually come around. I was wrong. No matter how hard I tried, if the market had no interest in it, there was no chance the startup would work. A dangerous middle ground traps many entrepreneurs into years of hope that rarely pans out — there’s a bit of market interest and an internal belief that one more feature, one more module will help unlock the demand. Many entrepreneurs were defeated in the search for one more thing.
The most successful entrepreneurs uncover authentic demand in a fast-growing market and deliver a stellar product.
When we started Pardot, we believed there was authentic demand, but we didn’t really know. B2B marketers at the time were using B2C tools, and they didn’t meet their needs. Huge amounts of B2B marketing spend was shifting from offline to online (e.g. print ads in magazines to online keyword and banner ads). It was only after we got the product into the hands of early customers that we heard amazing comments representing authentic demand.
Some of my favorite feedback from customers:
I don’t know how I did my job before using Pardot.
Pardot changed our business.
I tell everyone I know about Pardot.
Pardot data is included in every board deck.
We grew our marketing budget 10x because of Pardot.
We quickly knew that this business was special. Word of mouth was spreading. Prospects started showing up ready to buy. The business grew like clockwork.
Find authentic demand. Prove there’s an undeniable need for the product. Fulfill the unmet need.
Success starts with finding authentic demand.
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David Cummings, Khareem Sudlow
