Comment by nhangen | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nhangen | Hacker News Reader

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Hey Amy,

I'm referring to the expertise required to solve a given problem. There's a difference between selling a software product and an info product, and I'm sure you would agree.

For example, you have the authority to teach 30x500 because you have created a successful business. The problem that I see with many students of courses like this, is that they want to sell the 'how-to' at the same time they are learning 'how-to.'

I haven't read your course materials, nor have I looked at the SaaS-Compass product beyond this (http://saascompass.com/), but it looks like it's a strategy product, which means the author has to prove that he/she has the experience and authority required to help someone do what the course says it will do.

I agree that taking yourself out is a great approach, but still, most prospects will want to know something about the author before they make their decision to buy/not-buy.

I'm not trying to sell 'how-to' while learning 'how-to'.

There's a reason why my blog articles are boring "how to calculate your metrics right" posts instead of more sexy "try these things for better conversions" type of posts. I'm not a CRO or business optimization expert and I'm not trying to pass as one.

That would be fake and it would hurt my business.

Like I said in my post, my problem is that people don't realize that SaaS Compass doesn’t rely on my knowledge on how to run a SaaS. They, like you (even after reading my post!), expect that it would and look for that authority.

It's a question of perception and selling, not of a real lack of experience/expertise.

As Amy said, it's about copywriting. But I also have this gut feeling that no matter how I present SaaS Compass some people are still going to look for more "authority" or whatever it is.

Compass is not a course. It's not a strategy product, it's a mathematical modeling tool for inputting statistics and forecasting different scenarios. (Fact: It's a spreadsheet.)

You, the user of the tool, make the judgments about what the numbers mean to you. Not Jaana.

The expertise required to solve the problem is not about making business judgments, but getting the math required to crunch the numbers right (and build a spreadsheet without bugs).

This exchange proves part of Jaana's point -- her copywriting needs further work. :)

It looks like you're conflating me with people who run classes on how to create & sell internet marketing products. That's not even remotely what I do. No worries, I'm not offended, just want to set the record straight.

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