If you don’t have buyers, you don’t have a business. I see startups always so afraid of selling that they never get their first customer.
They spend all their time building their website or designing their logo and no time seeking prospects.
Don’t get me wrong: Logos and websites are great, and it is important to represent yourself professionally. But in the beginning, it is more important to get customers!
Stop stalling, stop planning, and start selling. Here are four proven strategies to land your first ten customers.
Step One: Create a Landing Page
Start by buying a domain name and building a basic web page. And I mean basic.
At this stage, your website should just be a landing page with a form for users to provide their contact information. Include a couple social media links, drop your logo, and publish it online. A quick website builder is more than enough. You can add to your site later; right now all you need is a web presence.
Step Two: Reach Out to Your Immediate Network
Is there anyone in your direct network who would find your product valuable?
Friends or family? Coworkers?
What about pre-existing customers? If you run another business, would any of your current buyers benefit from your new venture?
If you don’t personally know anyone who would use your product, I guarantee that someone in your network does. Ask around for referrals and introductions.
Step Three: Start a Blog
You will need presence and credibility if you want to sell to prospects outside your network. The easiest way to do that is through a blog. With a well-run blog, you can:
- Discover and develop relationships within your market
- Pitch your solution and receive immediate feedback
- Establish yourself as a thought leader
- Increase your online searchability
You don’t need to be a great writer to provide valuable content. Just start generating content and see what kind of response you get.
Not sure how to start? Check out Quicksprout’s Complete Guide to Building Your Blog Audience.
Step Four: Hustle
Sales is the only way you can test the market validity of your product, so pick up the phone and boot up the computer.
Reach out to as many qualified prospects as possible and pitch your service. If they’re interested, close the deal right then and there. If they aren’t, find out why.
First time selling? Don’t go in blind. Check out our cold-calling and cold-emailing sales scripts.
Early Sales FAQs
I’ve worked with many new startups, and these are some of the most common questions I get about acquiring customers.
What if I Don’t Have a Product Yet?
You don’t need to wait for a finished product to get customers.
Wouldn’t you rather know if there was a market for your product before you built it?
Follow the five steps above, but pitch your product as a preorder.
The offer is for a steep discount to those willing to pre-purchase and includes free setup and support. Remind them that they will get much one-on-one attention as one of your first customers.
Keep in mind that you can always refund them if you need to.
How Much Should I Charge?
Most new entrepreneurs tend to undervalue their products.
Here’s to avoid making this mistake:
- Ask yourself: “What’s my service worth?”
- Write down the first number that comes to mind.
- Multiply this number by three. That’s your price.
If you think your product is worth $15/month, charge $45/month. You can always change your pricing if you need to.
Besides, your product is too cheap if you never lose a deal over price.
How Do I Actually Sell My Product?
The key to selling effectively is to play to your strengths. Identify your authentic competitive advantage and leverage that.
To identify your advantage, ask yourself: What am I good at?
Writing? Speaking? Design?
Write down your strengths, whatever they are, even if they seem to have nothing to do with sales. Those are your advantages. How can you use them to pitch your product?
Stop Planning; Start Selling
You’ve spent enough time preparing. You need to start selling. Today.
In the next 24 hours, ask at least 10 people to be your customer. It doesn’t matter who they are and it doesn’t matter what they say. The important thing is that you train yourself to take action.
Then come back tomorrow and tell me how it went (go ahead and send me an email: steli@close.io!) What did you learn? What went wrong? How could you do this better next time?
And if you closed a deal? Congratulations!
Want more actionable advice on getting B2B customers?
