I am the CEO/Co-founder of an online marketplace where consumers post jobs and contractors leave bids. Every contractor we talk to tells us its a great idea and they would pay for leads, but we have yet to have anyone actually purchase a subscription to our site. We have a chicken/egg scenario where we need people to post jobs but we have to have contractors with active subscription to bid on the jobs. With no revenue right now, how do I bring awareness to my page (marketing) and how to I get contractors to purchase a subscription (sales)? Our site has been live for over a year. Everyone we talk to on both sides say this is a great idea and they love it. But reality doesn't seem to be playing out the way right now. I am trying to decide if I need to throw in the towel. I really don't want to but at the same time I am running out of personal capitol to throw at this.
"Every contractor we talk to tells us its a great idea and they would pay for leads, but we have yet to have anyone actually purchase a subscription to our site."
This seems like an obvious question, but have you explicitly asked them to give you money for the service? If not, then that is 100% the first place to start, bar none.
If they say no, then there are a few things you can do to help your cause. One is called reversing risk, which more or less means structuring your 'ask' in such a way that you are taking on a risk rather than the customer. In your case, the concept might be mean asking for a refundable 3 month service deposit.
Sales and marketing is where most of my experience lies, specifically in helping startups to find product market fit. Honestly, that is likely where you are having problems.
I would like to talk with you, so I will give you a clarity $20 promo credit to get us started and see if there is a good fit. If you are interested, send me a message.
Answered 11 years ago
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