Salesflare: Revolutionizing CRM for Sales Teams with Automation and User-Friendliness
Company profile
Company business details
Motivation to build the product
The founders were motivated by the need to create a CRM that truly serves salespeople, addressing the pain points of traditional systems that require excessive data entry and are not user-friendly. Their personal experiences in sales highlighted the need for a more effective and human-centered approach to CRM.Problem that their product solves
Salesflare solves the problem of tedious data entry and inefficient sales processes that many sales teams face. The end users are small businesses selling B2B, and solving this problem is crucial for them as it allows them to focus on building relationships and closing deals rather than getting bogged down by administrative tasks.Their unfair advantage
Salesflare's unfair advantage lies in its automation of data entry and its focus on user experience, making it easier for sales teams to use compared to traditional CRMs.Strategies
Pre-Launch (Product Development & MVP)
Customer Interviews for Validation
In the early stages of Salesflare, Yun and his co-founder conducted systematic customer interviews to validate their product idea. They started these interviews several months after conceiving the idea, which allowed them to gather insights on what potential users truly needed from a CRM. This process helped them refine their product concept and ensure they were building something that addressed real pain points in the market.
Investor Deck and Prototype Creation
Jeroen Corthout and his co-founder decided to take their idea for Salesflare seriously and sought funding. They created an investor deck to present to potential investors, specifically targeting a program called chemo 15, which promised $150,000 for 15% of their company in just 15 days. Alongside the deck, they developed a prototype that showcased their vision for the product, which was a simple HTML interface that demonstrated the concept without any functional backend. This approach helped them clarify their vision and attract initial interest from investors.
Launch Stage
Manual Onboarding Process
During the launch stage, Yun personally handled the onboarding of new customers. He would manually set up their accounts, connect their email addresses, and guide them through the software. This hands-on approach allowed him to gather valuable feedback and understand user challenges, which informed future improvements. By being directly involved, he ensured that customers had a positive initial experience, which was crucial for retention.
Networking for Initial Customers
In the early stages of Salesflare, Jeroen focused on leveraging his personal network to acquire customers. He reached out to contacts, including those he met at startup incubators, and personally demonstrated the software to potential users. This hands-on approach allowed him to guide users through the setup process, addressing their concerns and gathering valuable feedback. This strategy was crucial in building the first customer base, as it established trust and provided insights for product improvement.
Growth Stage
Gamified Onboarding Experience
To enhance user engagement and retention, Salesflare introduced a gamified onboarding experience. New users could complete specific setup tasks to earn extra trial days, which incentivized them to engage with the software. This feature not only made the onboarding process more enjoyable but also correlated with higher subscription rates and lower churn, as users who completed more setup tasks were more likely to succeed with the product.
Learn more about Salesflare
SaaS Founder Interview: Jeroen Corthout @ Salesflare
