How To Sell An App Idea: Preparatory Stage And MVP

how to sell mobile app idea mvp application sale

The question "How do I sell an app idea?" has several answers of different fantasy degrees. Option one, that you can sell the mobile application idea without any major documentation and development, is the most fantastic. We will not focus particularly on this option, because such "unicorn" app products are very rare on the market today. 

Even if you already have some abstract idea of a mobile app, you need to prepare for the actual sale. Next, we will go through step by step and discuss in detail what you need to do for selling mobile application ideas. 

Market Analysis For Mobile Apps

Now it is useless to make another TikTok, because behind a unique product there is not only a huge number of users and content creators, but also years of development. To offer something significant to the buyer, you have to analyze the market. You have to understand who your competitors are, and what unique features they have. Remember that once a feature appears in a popular app, competitors will try to copy it. Think of the Stories format that was introduced first on Snapchat and then copied by Facebook, Instagram, VK and Twitter fleets, etc. Large companies can copy your core mechanics quickly enough, so don’t forget about it. 

You should understand not only who your competitors are, but what makes them exceptional. You must explain not only to the potential buyer, but also to yourself why the idea of your app is better than similar products on the market. 

Create A Mind Map 

A mind map is depicted by a diagram in the form of a beam with branches. The beam is your key idea. For example, the key idea of Tinder is a dating service, the idea of TikTok is a short video service with a simple editor. 

Let ideas related to product monetization, integration with other services (in general, everything you need to make your project big and significant) branch off from the main concept. 

Work out the milestones and goals that are realistic to achieve, for example, within the first year of product release. Provide ROI expectations. 

Maybe the buyer of your idea will have his own vision, but you have to show the viability of the app with this mind map at the stage of the bargain. 

UX solutions can also come in handy, as you can outplay your competitors in terms of usability. 

Building An MVP Version 

The MVP version (Minimum Viable Product) is an app with one key active function. Selling the idea of an app is much easier if the potential buyer has a sample that he can test with his own hands. 

Don’t try to develop the MVP into a full beta or alpha version unless it requires minimal cost or time. You should go to these stages of development in detail only if you are preparing your own product, not if you want to sell an app idea. For this reason, when developing an MVP, it is important to know when to stop and not over-invest in the product. The user has to go through his journey and achieve a result, nothing more. 

Business Analytics 

Having an MVP and a mind map for product development, you can start looking for a buyer, if you want to play this game on a high level of difficulty. To get your product ready for the sales stage, it’s best to hire a business analyst to help adjust the stages and show you how to differentiate yourself from the competition. Certainly, you can involve an analyst at an earlier stage, but if you do not have your own plan and MVP, working with an analyst is not so productive and is more like hunting for a bird in a field. 

You must provide specific data and key points to set the product direction. This way you can prepare an invoice for a business analyst and optimize not only his work, but also the cost of his services. 

The main thing that can give you a business analyst stage is real numbers that you can show potential buyers. 

Business analytics helps explain to the client how and in what time frame he will be able to earn if he invests in your project. 

Sales Stage 

Of course, there are cases when a project can be sold at the stage of numbers on paper without an MVP, but usually such a scenario is quite risky. 

On the one hand, the numbers are difficult to protect by copyright, so if someone copies your brilliant idea, it will be hard to prove that it is your intellectual property. On the other hand, when a project is at this stage, some sales channels are simply not available. With an MVP and development strategy, you can participate in hackathons, get into various business incubators and use the help of business angels, as well as sales platforms. 

Pitching 

All the previous stages can be called preparatory. Before pitching, we rather formed the best possible conditions to sell the idea. At the stage of the direct sale you should also be aware of several aspects. 

Focus on the format in the presentation of the product. If it is a presentation for a newsletter, use more text and data. If you will support the presentation with a speech, do not overload the slides with information, but think of transitions and watch your tempo. 

The next key point is the focus choice. You have already detailed the information in the mind map, so don’t cover the app functions during the pitching. Spend more time on analysis and market data. This will give the investor insight into the market and show that you have explored the pitfalls of the industry. 

Don't focus on the mobile app product features and benefits only. Draw the potential buyer’s attention to the opportunities that will be open before him. Tell them when and how much return on investment they will get. If you can't get a company or investor to clearly understand how they will make money from your mobile app idea, they won't buy. 

Close The Deal

It's important to conclude your product presentation properly. Also, to leave a thank you for the attention, leave your contacts and a QR code so the client doesn’t get cold feet while looking for information about your product. Make it as simple as possible for them to contact you and buy your app idea.

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