Offering long free trials or pilots can be counterproductive, as customers may not fully commit to using the product. Keep trials short with clear success criteria.

If you haven't got the right value proposition, there's no point in doing anything else.

To prove that people will want your product before it's built, the best approach is through pre-sales, as demonstrated by Jetpack Aviation's successful pre-sale campaign for flying motorcycles.

AI companies often struggle to define the value they generate, leading to uncertain pricing strategies as they experiment with different models.

Offering free or low-cost plans can lower the barrier to entry, making it easier for customers to say yes and see the value of your product.

If you're in a regulated industry and can't sell your product yet, your primary metric should focus on demonstrating technical feasibility rather than quantitative sales figures.

Charging customers is essential for validating your product's value. Offering free trials can be tempting, but if customers aren't paying, they aren't truly customers. Resist the fear of rejection based on price.

Many founders think they need to offer their product for free to gain users, but it's often better to charge a price to gauge real interest.

Customer testimonials are generally not very effective unless they translate into actual sales; investors care more about whether customers are willing to pay for your product.