For years I’ve had conversations about how dating and SaaS contracts are similar. It’s something I discussed late night with James Watters when we were working on Pivotal Network, and if he agrees, it must have some weight. Thanks to Alana Kadden of INQUNE, SaaS Sales extraordinaire for reading through my outline to make sure I used the correct terms.
Also, I’d like to apologize in advance for the photos depicting hetero-normative dating. It’s easier to have consistent imagery and I didn’t want to confuse anything as friendship for the less enlightened. I did make an attempt to shift some stereotypes about genders and race, but that isn’t the point of this piece.
Above is a standard sales/marketing funnel that any business can use to think about the conversion steps that lead to a paying customer. It is the way that SaaS companies analyze where there is room for improvement in the sales process.
I think that the same funnel and activities apply to dating for marriage as well. Let’s explore each stage and how it’s dating equivalent.
Marketing to get Leads = Creating Online Profile
This is the opportunity to show off your best features, and what the potential benefits of connecting will be. Put your best foot forward and make yourself look great.
Lead Qualification by SDR = Pre-date Messaging
You want to see if it’s worth the mutual time investment and if there’s a real potential fit. Both sides ask a series of questions that they know what the minimum response required is to take the next step.
Initial Meet and Greet = First Date
You’re meeting face to face to check out the goods and further qualify the other side. The goal is to see how compatible your needs are with the what the other side can offer.
Product Demo & Documents = First Month of Dating
It’s a deeper dive into mutual needs to see if alignment exists. There’s no commitment yet, but you increasingly share more details to entice the other party.
Presentation for Stakeholders = Meeting friends
So you’ve decided there’s enough there to move forward and now you need to get buy in from other trusted advisors that this is a good idea to continue.
Bake off = Dating other people
This is NOT a required step, but sometimes it’s important to simultaneously compare a few options. Generally, all parties know this is happening, but rarely do you know who else is involved.
Proof of Concept = Exclusive dating
You’re willing to make a small bet that there’s potential for long term compatibility, but not ready to sign a long term contract. You want to see if after a few months, you don’t surface any big flaws that were previously overlooked.
Initial Limited Contract = Moving in Together
Hooray! You’ve passed enough qualification steps and you sign some official paperwork that ties you for around a year and makes it harder to separate. Both sides are invested in success, but also need to deliver on their promises in order to move to the next stage.
Upsell to Longer Contract = Proposal for Marriage
It’s time to decide if you want to increase investment and engagement for much larger period of time.
Large Implementation Kickoff = Marriage Ceremony
Publicly show that there is a long term agreement in place and encourage everyone to support it. This gesture greatly increases the social capital investment and associated risk of backlash if the partnership fails.
Ongoing Account Management = Marriage
At this point, both parties are very invested in long term success. They know that without good maintenance and attention, the other side might stop appreciating the value they bring and open the door for competitors.
Subscription Renewal = Renewal of Vows
Some contracts automatically renew, others require an explicit act to continue. If desired, there can be a public display of recommitment to another large period of time as partners.
Cancel Subscription = Divorce or Breakup
Not every relationship lasts forever, sometimes needs change, sometimes new competitors enter the market with better features. This can sometimes be avoided with proper account management and innovation, but even then is not always guaranteed. It is less effort to separate if the praetorship ends early, but it’s never easy.
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