The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Winning Small Biz App Showdown

The Small Business App Showdown sponsored by Intuit is right around the corner. You’ve spent countless hours developing a game changing app. Your days and nights blended together as you chugged copious amounts of caffeine while simultaneously churning out code. You’ve spent energy and creativity engaging family, friends and possibly even your mailman to vote for your app. While the votes rolled in, the apps were also judged on their quality of integration, innovation, and market impact. The hard work that went into the monumental task of developing an app has brought you to this moment: a finalist at QuickBooks Connect 2017. At QuickBooks Connect 2016, I walked away with $100,000 in prize money and a feeling of accomplishment for myself and my dedicated team. I’ve created the ultimate cheat sheet to help you come out victorious at the Small Biz App Showdown.

Read the rules

Were you the kid in elementary school that completely bypassed the rules on the assignment and then got a lecture afterward for not reading the rules? I’m guilty. One time my teacher wrote this in the rules on an assignment, “I only want you to put your name on this paper and turn it in tomorrow.” I didn’t read the rules and ended up spending that night doing unnecessary homework. Reading the rules makes all the difference. For Small Biz App Showdown, there will be multiple points each pitch is graded on. These become your ordered talking points that will help the panel of judges evaluate performance in each section. This isn’t the only way to structure your talking points. You can cover topics in order of value, beginning with the most valuable topics on the grading rubric and working your way down. If you decide to complete them backwards, that will work too. This way the points are in order as a judge reads down the list.

Outperform the competition

Unless you are living in a cave, you know there’s no such thing as no competition. It’s important to clearly define the competitive landscape and specifically explain how your product or app is better than the competition. If the market is saturated with solutions similar to yours, it’s even more important to share what differentiates you from the other guy. This part should be tailored toward the theme of the competition.

Showcase customer types

No product has only one user type. If your customer type is too broad, it can cripple your business strategy. If the various customer types find value in your app you have a better chance of the judges recognizing that same value. The marketplace validates your product. For Share a Refund, the two most important customer types we mentioned in the competition were direct customers and reseller customers and how we added value to them by saving time and money through our efficient, world-class technology. Who doesn’t love more time adding back into their day and money back into their business? Explain how your product was created to meet customers’ needs. Customers are the fuel that accelerates a businesses and the key part to any successful marketing plan.

Connect the dots

Storytelling is a powerful force, but be careful not to be too restrictive. During the Small Biz App Showdown, one company started with describing how a customer could watch a child’s soccer match because of the time savings their product supplied to the end user. Not everyone has kids. For those that do, we can assume not all play soccer. Try to leave the story loose. Use an open-ended question to stir the judges curiosity. This allows the judges to connect the story to however they spend free time instead of immediately seeing it as irrelevant and unrelatable. Know your audience.

Prepare to present

Keep in mind you are being judged on every level. Every part of your presentation is under tight scrutiny. We are all aware that most app developers spend more time staring at a computer screen than presenting in front of an audience. Nervousness is expected but channel that nervousness into exhilaration. Flashing a smile goes a long way here. Exhibit a relaxed demeanor as much as possible. You only have three minutes. Maximize this time.

Share a Refund brings shipment auditing to the QuickBooks ecosystem. Your app could be next. I hope this resource will prove helpful in planning for the App Showdown. Good luck out there!