You can’t give what you don’t have.
Unless you have already kept your end of the bargain, you should not keep people’s hopes up. The same situation applies to SaaS, where one of our prospects would ask about a not available software feature. It may sound promising and could be something they need, but if you don’t have it right now, why bother selling it or bringing it up? This guide has the answer.
What Is Vaporware?
By definition, vaporware is software or hardware that has not been advertised or is unavailable for purchase. Vaporware may either be a concept or a product that is still in the process of development.
The Pitfalls of Selling Vaporware:
A Reputation Killer
Nobody likes false promises.
Leading someone on to something unavailable about a feature you don’t have yet is the last thing you would want to happen. It will hurt your sales and reputation, especially in the SaaS community. You would be talked about negatively, and potential prospects would avoid you at all costs.
Lack of Commitment
If you play the waiting game for too long, your prospect may not even sign up.
This could also explain why revenue has not been coming in. Because your product or feature is not available, it is common sense that your prospect would be waiting for it to be available before making a commitment.
What to Do Instead:
Know and Prioritize Your Prospect’s Needs
Expectations are the root of all disappointments.
As much as you want to please your prospect, you wouldn’t want to be on their bad side either. You may not end up meeting their initial expectations, but that’s okay. The deal isn’t dead yet, and you can make it up for that by reminding your prospects of what matters to them the most.
Identify how much of a priority the new feature or upgrade is to them.
It may be something they just thought out of the blue in most cases. Instead of going deeper down that rabbit hole, focus on more pressing problems and issues that need immediate attention and ways you can solve them.
In Summary
Giving what you don’t have is a recipe for disaster. Your integrity, reputation, and prospect’s commitment to you is all at stake. Instead of selling vaporware, prioritize what needs to be addressed from the start. The new feature or upgrade that your prospect may want can wait.
