The SaaS Buying Journey
How SaaS Customers Think
At its core, a SaaS customer is not looking for fancy features, complex dashboards, or cutting-edge technology—they just want to solve a problem. If your product helps them accomplish their goal more efficiently, affordably, or seamlessly than the alternatives, they will choose you. If not, they will move on.
We realized this early in our journey with Postly. Our users had one primary goal: to publish content to social media platforms in order to promote their products, grow their brands, or service their clients. For many, their businesses—and livelihoods—depended on this. They were not experimenting with Postly out of curiosity; they needed a solution they could trust, one that worked flawlessly without added complexity.
In the beginning, we built a range of features that we thought were impressive. We had our own ideas of what a "powerful" social media marketing tool should look like. But we quickly learned that what we thought was "cool" didn’t necessarily translate to what users wanted.
What set us apart was our ability to listen. We were nimble, and instead of forcing users to adapt to our vision, we adapted to their needs. Customer feedback became our north star, and over the years, we have diligently shaped Postly into what it is today—a tool that solves real user problems with precision and simplicity.
One of the most common mistakes SaaS founders make is assuming that customers care about features. Customers don’t care about features. They care about results.
Think of it like this: when someone buys a drill, they don’t actually want a drill—they want a hole in the wall. Similarly, when someone buys a social media scheduling tool, they don’t want an interface with ten different posting modes. They want to schedule posts without stress, ensure consistency, and ultimately grow their audience. If you can keep this in mind, you’ll be ahead of many SaaS companies that get lost in feature bloat.
The Decision-Making Process
Decision-making in SaaS is complex, but it can be made simple when the right insights guide the process.
At the start, everything was unclear. We were building, launching, and tweaking in all directions, trying to find what worked. There were days when we felt we had a clear roadmap, only to realize that users had entirely different expectations. This period of uncertainty is where many startups struggle.
However, over time, clarity sets in. The key is to balance user feedback with strategic vision.
One of the hardest but most crucial lessons we learned was this: Not all feedback should be implemented.
Yes, listening to customers is important. But if you blindly follow every request, you risk building a product that is overly complicated, unfocused, and ultimately unusable. Every user has a specific use case in mind, and if you try to accommodate every request, you’ll end up with a bloated product that pleases no one.
Instead, we applied filters to customer feedback:
• Is this a widespread need or a niche request? (If only 2% of users request it, we think twice before implementing.)
• Does this align with our core vision? (A feature might be useful, but if it takes us away from our primary mission, it’s not worth it.)
• Will this add complexity without adding significant value? (If a feature makes the product harder to use, it might not be worth the trade-off.)
By sticking to this approach, we avoided building a ginormous, watered-down product. Instead, we built a focused, effective solution that solved the right problems without unnecessary clutter.
This filtering process is what separates great SaaS products from mediocre ones. The best products feel simple to users, but that simplicity is a result of countless strategic decisions made behind the scenes.
The Role of Trust and Social Proof
If there’s one thing that makes or breaks a SaaS business, it’s trust.
In the early days, trust is difficult to earn. No one knows who you are, and users are naturally skeptical of new platforms. The fastest way to build trust is to get as close to your users as possible.
From day one, we made a deliberate decision: No corporate barriers. No distancing ourselves from customers.
I, as the founder, personally handled customer support chat from the beginning. Not because we couldn’t afford to hire agents, but because we saw customer interactions as an invaluable opportunity to understand user needs, gather insights, and build relationships.
Many founders make the mistake of hiding behind email automation, chatbots, and ticketing systems. While these tools have their place, nothing builds trust like real, human interaction.
Our users saw that we were approachable. They saw that when they had an issue, the founder himself was there to respond. They saw that we were not a faceless corporation, but a team that genuinely cared about their success. This created loyalty and trust that no marketing campaign could buy.
Beyond direct interactions, we also prioritized social proof. We encouraged happy customers to leave honest reviews on platforms like Trustpilot, G2, and Capterra, which became powerful credibility boosters for new users.
Today, we get outstanding feedback almost daily:
• "I love Postly!"
• "This has changed the way I manage social media."
• "The best decision I’ve made for my business."
These comments might seem small, but they are gold in SaaS. They serve as validation for potential customers who are on the fence, convincing them that Postly is not just another tool—it’s a product that delivers real results.
Final Thoughts
The SaaS buying journey is not just about features, pricing, or fancy branding. It’s about:
• Solving a real problem—not just adding features for the sake of it.
• Making decision-making easy—by focusing on clarity and filtering feedback wisely.
• Building trust and credibility—through direct engagement and social proof.
At the end of the day, customers buy confidence—confidence that your product will work, confidence that they can trust your team, and confidence that they are making the right choice.
If you can master these elements, your SaaS product will not just survive—it will thrive.