Phase 1 – Initial Contact & Discovery¶

This document provides email/message templates, discovery call agendas, and qualification checklists for the initial customer contact phase. It is written for sales, business development, and architects conducting initial customer discovery.

Phase 1 focuses on understanding the customer's context, needs, and fit for ConnectSoft products. The goal is to qualify the opportunity and gather enough information to shape a solution in Phase 2.

Important

Discovery is critical for success. Invest time in understanding customer needs, constraints, and expectations. Rushing discovery leads to misaligned solutions and customer dissatisfaction.

Objectives of Phase 1¶

The objectives of Phase 1 are to:

Understand Business Context - What business problem are they solving?
Assess Technical Fit - Do they fit ConnectSoft's technology stack and approach?
Identify Pain Points - What are their current challenges (speed, quality, cost)?
Qualify Opportunity - Is this a good fit for ConnectSoft?
Gather Requirements - What are their high-level requirements and constraints?

Outreach and First Response Templates¶

Template 1: Response to Inbound Inquiry¶

Subject: Re: Inquiry about ConnectSoft AI Software Factory

Body:

Hi [Customer Name],

Thanks for reaching out about ConnectSoft. I understand you're building [brief description of their SaaS/product idea].

ConnectSoft helps companies like yours build production-ready SaaS faster using our AI Software Factory. We can:

- Generate microservices with Clean Architecture, DDD, and observability built-in
- Provide ready-made platforms (Identity, Audit, Config, Bot) for common SaaS needs
- Deliver outcomes via AI Squads (virtual teams) without you needing to operate the Factory

I'd love to learn more about your project and see if we're a good fit. Are you available for a 30-minute discovery call this week?

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Template 2: Outbound Outreach¶

Subject: Building SaaS faster with AI-powered development

Body:

Hi [Customer Name],

I noticed [company] is building [product/service]. I'm reaching out because ConnectSoft specializes in helping SaaS companies accelerate development using AI-powered code generation.

Our AI Factory generates production-ready microservices in days, not months—with Clean Architecture, multi-tenancy, and observability built-in. We also provide ready-made platforms for identity, audit, configuration, and conversational interfaces.

Would you be open to a brief conversation about how we might help accelerate [specific aspect of their product]?

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Discovery Call Agenda¶

Pre-Call Preparation¶

Review customer website and public information
Prepare discovery questions
Review ConnectSoft capabilities relevant to customer
Prepare to discuss similar use cases (without naming other customers)

Call Structure (30-60 minutes)¶

1. Introductions (5 minutes)¶

ConnectSoft team introduction
Customer team introduction
Roles and responsibilities

2. Business Context (10-15 minutes)¶

What business problem are you solving?
Who are your target customers?
What's your go-to-market timeline?
What's your business model?

3. Current State (10-15 minutes)¶

What's your current architecture/tech stack?
What development resources do you have?
What's your current development velocity?
What tools and processes are you using?

4. Pain Points (10-15 minutes)¶

What are your biggest development challenges?
Where do you spend most of your time?
What's slowing you down?
What quality or consistency issues do you face?

5. Appetite for AI/Automation (5-10 minutes)¶

Have you used AI coding tools (GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, etc.)?
How comfortable are you with AI-generated code?
What concerns do you have about AI-generated code?
How do you ensure code quality today?

6. Timeline & Budget (5-10 minutes)¶

What's your timeline for next milestone?
What's your budget range for development tools/platforms?
What's your decision-making process?
Who else needs to be involved?

7. Next Steps (5 minutes)¶

Summarize key points
Agree on next steps
Schedule follow-up if needed

Qualification Checklist¶

Business Qualification¶

They are building or evolving a SaaS product
They have a clear business model and target market
They have budget for development tools/platforms
They have timeline pressure or growth goals
They have internal champion/sponsor

Technical Qualification¶

They can adopt Azure/.NET or are flexible on tech stack
They understand microservices architecture (or willing to learn)
They have or can get Azure DevOps access
They have or can get Azure subscription
They are open to AI-driven development

Cultural Qualification¶

They value speed and quality
They are open to new approaches
They have appetite for innovation
They understand the value of consistency
They are willing to invest in learning

Red Flags¶

No DevOps access or Azure commitment
Fixed rigid stack that conflicts with ConnectSoft (.NET/Azure)
No budget or unrealistic expectations
No internal champion or decision-maker
Prefer low-code/no-code over real code
Want to "just get code and walk away" (no partnership)

Warning

Red Flags to Watch For: 1. No DevOps Access - Factory requires Azure DevOps integration 2. Fixed Rigid Stack - Factory generates .NET/Azure code 3. No Budget - Factory and platforms require investment 4. No Champion - Need internal advocate for success 5. Walk-Away Mentality - Factory works best as partnership, not one-time transaction

Hand-off to Phase 2¶

Before moving to Phase 2 (Solution Shaping & Proposal), ensure you have:

Required Information¶

Clear High-Level Goal - What are they trying to achieve?
Key Constraints - Budget, timeline, technical constraints
Access Level Expectations - What access do they need?
Success Criteria - How will they measure success?
Decision-Making Process - Who decides and how?

Documentation¶

Phase 2 – Solution Shaping & Proposal - Next phase
Sales Factory Playbook - Factory sales guidance
Sales Platforms Playbook - Platforms sales guidance
Sales Squads Playbook - Squads sales guidance
Customer Onboarding Playbook - Onboarding process