Be Transparent

It's tempting to think, "We shouldn't let them know that the product isn't perfect yet, that we're still trying to get it right..." when working on something new. But often, that's the exact wrong instinct. Mar and I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the visionary founder of Lelu, Ana Leyva. One of the things that really struck me -- which is relevant to both big companies and nascent ventures alike -- was Ana's willingness to be transparent about Lelu's development stage with customers. 

She told us the story of a customer who was having trouble making a payment. "Through our website chat, I offered just to call her and enter her information manually on the backend. She was shocked that the founder of the company called her! When I told her 'We're in the process of hiring an engineer to fix the payment page,' she said, 'I love that!' 

"What I'm realizing is that these early enthusiastic customers don't mind that the product isn't perfect yet. They are grateful that we're trying!" 

What started out as a trivial billing issue ended up being an amazing chance to connect with a product evangelist and build an enduring relationship.

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