the sale is where it begins
for a hundred years, companies chased the close. ring the bell, bag the sale, move on to the next. that era's gone. tien tzuo, salesforce's 11th employee, nailed it: in subscriptions, the purchase isn't the end. it's the start.
you're the hero here, building in a world where software, bitcoin, ai, robotics all run on renewal. the sale? just the gun going off. yet most still celebrate acquisition like it's the win, treating subs like products on installment. big mistake. when customers can bolt any month, every touchpoint asks: is this still worth it? that's the test separating flash from lasting value.
i've seen it up close, guiding founders through crypto storms and tech shifts. two loyalties exist. behavioral: they stick because switching hurts—high costs, locked data. attitudinal: they stay because they choose to, hooked on what you deliver. everyone craves the second. most settle for the first, building prisons instead of tribes.
attitudinal loyalty demands grit. listen hard, iterate fast, earn trust daily. your product must evolve, not just launch. steve jobs got this. apple doesn't peddle gadgets; it crafts identity. the unboxing ritual, the sleek stores, the ads that hit the heart—they create belonging. that's why fans defend it fiercely, upgrading without question.
bitcoin mirrors this. no lock-ins, yet holders evangelize because the network delivers: scarcity, sovereignty, resilience. ai tools? stop innovating, users flee. robots? sell once, but support for years, or word spreads and sales dry up.
as your guide, i've walked this path—from bootstrapping unocoin amid bans to seeing subscriptions redefine value. the old playbook fails. stop optimizing for the pitch; build for the decade. make customer success your core, not a side department. ask: how do we become indispensable? so vital they'd never dream of leaving?
imagine the payoff: a business that hums with loyal advocates, recurring revenue flowing like clockwork, your impact compounding. or the trap: churning customers, endless acquisition hunts, growth stalling in a sea of options.
you're already sensing the shift. don't chase more sign-ups. craft a story where customers see themselves thriving with you. make every renewal a quiet yes. that's not just business. that's a legacy. which are you building—a fleeting transaction or an unbreakable bond?
