Product Call with a Potential Client

What the talk is about

Yevheniy Lohinov, Head of Production at Stepico, explains how a service studio qualifies clients and works out what game they actually need. After a basic check by business development, the studio holds a separate product call: is there a reference game, do they want a clone or a clone with changes, and what is the game for — profit, fundraising, marketing, education or a family project. He advises against selling a large scope all at once and suggests splitting it into a prototype or MVP, and sometimes testing an idea before any code with fake ad creatives or a video instead of an expensive prototype. He also explains why design phases and documentation rework should be paid, and why a contractor should never take on the client's product manager role. Useful for producers, biz-devs and clients of outsourced development.