Been wrestling with this for months.
Every founder I know said the same thing: "Don't give away the product before you prove value on a call."
But here's what kept bugging me:
Our best customers weren't the ones who loved our demo. They were the ones who got their hands dirty with the product first. They'd show up to calls already knowing what they wanted. Sharper questions. Faster decisions.
The demo was actually slowing things down. So we killed the gate.
Now anyone can sign up and start building. No calendar link. No pitch deck. Just the product.
If it works for you, you'll know. If it doesn't, you won't waste time pretending.
We're probably leaving money on the table short-term. But we'd rather grow with people who actually get it.