If you have worked in product management or tech, you have heard of NPS (Net Promoter Score). NPS asks: "How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?" It is a standard metric used by Fortune 500 companies to gauge loyalty.
But if you are building an early-stage SaaS, NPS is a dangerous trap. It is a vanity metric that can lead you to build the wrong features. You should ask the Sean Ellis question instead.
The NPS Lie
NPS is hypothetical. When a user selects a "9" on an NPS survey, they are making a prediction about their future behavior. They are saying: "Yes, I like this app enough that if someone asked, I would probably tell them about it." But there is zero consequence for that answer.
The Sean Ellis question, on the other hand, is visceral. By asking: *"How would you feel if you could no longer use this product tomorrow?"*, you force the user to imagine losing access immediately. It triggers a loss-aversion reaction. If they would not care, they say "not disappointed." If they depend on your app to get their job done, they say "very disappointed."
Why NPS Fails Early Startups
- NPS favors polite users: Many users give high scores simply to be polite. The Sean Ellis survey forces them to choose if the product is essential.
- NPS doesn’t segment value: NPS treats all promoters equally. The Sean Ellis method identifies your "must-have" cohort so you can build specifically for them.
- NPS is a trailing indicator: By the time you notice NPS dropping, users are already churning. A drop in the "Very disappointed" percentage is an early warning system.
Key Takeaways
- NPS measures satisfaction; Sean Ellis measures necessity.
- Early-stage companies need core dependency, not wide-reaching politeness.
- Deploying the Sean Ellis question in-app lets you spot drop-offs in product value immediately after shipping updates.
