Debugging B2D Sales - Why Devs Are One of the Toughest Customer Groups to Crack
What you can learn from Leonardo di Caprio aka Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street when selling to developers
I am sure we all know (and love) the famous scene from “The Wolf of Wall Street” in which Leonardo di Caprio aka Jordan Belfort asks his audience to sell him a pen. In the movie, one member of the audience after another tries to win over Belfort by pitching certain details about the qualities and functionalities of the pen, i.e. “it’s an amazing pen for professionals”, “you can use the pen to write down thoughts from your life so you can remember them”, and so on, before being interrupted by Belfort.
The point Belfort wants to make is to rather emphasize the exclusivity and prestige associated with the pen to address underlying desires in a potential buyer - almost common wisdom in the more traditional marketing playbook, especially for consumer goods.
While this approach might be true and suitable in other areas of sales, it is most likely deemed to fail in B2D sales. In this blog post, I want to explore reasons why developers might be the toughest customer group to crack and why the approach of the audience members in the movie would have been the better choice when selling to devs.
👨💻🔧 Developers are highly technical
Although this one might sound obvious, it is very important to consider. One fundamental reason that makes tech developers a tough crowd to please is their profound technical expertise. These individuals possess an intricate understanding of the inner workings of technology, making it crucial for any sales approach to align with their technical sensibilities. You can compare it to a mechanic buying a car - you know they can and will have a look under the engine hood.
💪🧱 Developers can do it themselves
Software engineers are renowned for their problem-solving capabilities and the ability to build custom solutions. It is a common expression that developers “love to write code, not buy code.” Consequently, they often possess the mindset of "I can do it myself." This self-reliance stems from their confidence in their technical prowess. It therefore won’t work to sell your solutions as a magical painkiller.
In a recent effort to support one of the portfolio companies in the developer infrastructure space I closely work with to win first early design customers, this really was one of the most recurring patterns. The initial reaction was typically along the lines of
“We’ve built something already that works”
“Our use cases and requirements are too peculiar to have an out-of-the-box product make sense”
“We found a workaround for the pain point you are describing that works for now”
Though not easy, once this initial defensive reaction is overcome and one can more deeply engage in current problems and how the solution at hand can help much better than a homegrown patch - the sales pitch will be more compelling.
🚫📣Developers hate marketing and ads:
Honestly, who doesn’t hate ads? However, developers are especially allergic to ads and marketing BS. As a customer group, they know their needs very well and will look right through empty marketing promises. They value authenticity, substance, and transparency over flashy promotions that do not directly address their problems.
As Ashley Smith, former VP of Marketing at GitHub, points out in an interview with OpenView:
“Most engineers are really smart. They realize when someone’s trying to trick them,” Ashley says. “Some people think of traditional marketing like a form of tricking people into doing something. I don’t think that’s the case, but it’s definitely the perception.” To create an authentic and sustainable connection with developers, Ashley makes sure her marketing efforts avoid any trickery by adhering to a few core values: honesty, clarity, and usefulness.
🐑🧠 Developers have a herd mentality:
As previously discussed (here), developers are a truly global community and often also trust and rely on recommendations from peers. They actively seek endorsements, read online reviews, and engage in developer communities and forums. This herd mentality makes it challenging to gain trust and establish credibility. However, if you build relationships within these communities, developers will be glad to act as product ambassadors, fostering organic word-of-mouth "marketing” that is crucial to gain traction.
“The community is everything,” Ashley said. “If they’re unhappy and stop contributing, your product is done.”
🙅♂️🐷🛍️ There is no buying the pig in a poke:
Tech developers value evidence and empirical proof. For many components of their stack, especially for critical infrastructure, they will want to have full transparency. They are more likely to invest in products or services with a proven track record and tangible results. Additionally, for a large chunk of problems, there are existing open-source solutions out there that they prefer to avoid lock-in and to remain flexible in their work environment.
🧪✅💸 Testing before buying:
Developers thrive on experimentation and continuous improvement. They are reluctant to commit to a solution without thoroughly testing its functionality, scalability, and compatibility with their existing tech stack. Therefore, they will most likely want to put your tool through its paces and use it in their actual day-to-day activities (or at least in a sandboxed environment with actual data) to see if it truly generates value, before making a purchasing decision. Smooth onboarding and quick time-to-value are thus crucial to success.
“When you’re writing copy for a developer audience, everything you say has to be actually true because the first thing someone is going to do when they read it is test the product. You can’t lie.” - as Ashley rightfully points out.
⚙️➡️💅Functionality over aesthetics:
I don’t say aesthetics do not matter (especially when selling to product or design people, it’s important), but it all starts with functionality. Tech developers prioritize functionality above all else. They seek robust solutions that align with their technical requirements, adhere to industry standards, and seamlessly integrate into their existing workflows. Your product needs to deliver functionality that solves these challenges. Developers are less likely to be swayed by flashy marketing (also see point 3) or visual design.
🥡🍽️ Your takeaways
To wrap things up, selling to developers is certainly no easy task, but understanding their intricate nature can unlock great opportunities for success. These highly technical buyers value real substance over superficial marketing tactics. In the end, connecting with devs requires a genuine appreciation for their work and a commitment to meaningful engagement that aligns with their values and aspirations.
In this episode a special thanks goes out to Nickolas who was a major contributor!