What's your method for finding your first 10 paying customers?

Question

For me it's cold emails, Reddit posts and lots of one on one meetings.

Nothing beats direct conversations for early sales :)

What about you?

Scar Qin · Accepted Answer

For finding our first 10 paying customers, we focused on a combination of cold outreach, networking, and leveraging social media. Cold emails were effective, but we also tapped into relevant communities on platforms like LinkedIn and industry forums.

Direct conversations and one-on-one meetings were invaluable, as they allowed us to understand potential customers’ pain points and tailor our pitch. Building relationships through these interactions made a significant difference in closing those initial sales.

Simon🍋 · Answer

@sacha_dumay How are the sales with X, if it's not a secret? Do you think it's worth focusing some efforts there? I personally think you have to build quite a following before anything interesting happens. Regarding Reddit, you don't need to have a following, which is why I like it. There are subreddits where you can advertise and get users/feedback. The most active one is /r/sideproject. Just analyze what other people are posting and do the same. I found a whole list of subreddits here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SidePro... but from experience, /r/sideproject is the best.

Ashit Vora · Answer

Would love to discuss your approach for cold emailing.

Business Marketing with Nika · Answer

I think it depends on the market (target audience) – I would try to find relevant people and message them. :)

LDJ Beatless · Answer

I think leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn is a great way. You can target potential customers, share valuable content about your product, and then directly message them. Another method could be offering free trials with a clear upgrade path to paid plans. Also, attending relevant industry events and networking can help you find those first 10 paying customers.

Ashit Vora · Answer

@simonas_kauzonas on Reddit you need to understand the pattern that works to avoid the posts & comments getting deleted.

✴️Nazir Yusifov✴️ · Answer

The best method, in my opinion, is to visit websites where reviews about competitor products are available and respond or reach out to those who have left negative comments. Offer them the opportunity to try your product during a trial period.

Answer

To get your first 10 paying customers, outreach efforts like cold emails and LinkedIn messages is no doubt super important. However, is you combine these efforts with social selling that makes all your cold outreach warmer and increases your chances of conversion.

Sacha Dumay · Answer

X at the moment.

I have been curious about reddit, how do you do it since you cannot directly advertise?

Simon🍋 · Answer

@ashitvora Personally, I use Apollo.io - I filter out and make a list of potential customers, then automate an email with two follow-ups, each sent a week after the previous one. It's not something you can scale easily, but at least you can automate it.

Another approach, which I haven't tried yet, is using Mail Meteor. You can send several thousand emails through your Gmail account every day, and it's super cheap. Supposedly, it doesn't get marked as spam.

There are lots of great reviews, but you need a mailing list. So, I'm planning to create a mailing list with Apollo, export it, and send emails with Mail Meteor to see if there's a difference in response rates.

Ulrica Storset · Answer

Thanks for the list @sacha_dumay @simonas_kauzonas that is really wonderful!

Simon🍋 · Answer

@ashitvora It's not that hard! Read the subreddit rules and check out top monthly posts. Then adapt for your own business. Definitely worth a shot:)

Vitaly Aver · Answer

PR of your startup on social networks
Mostly youtube and twitter at the moment

Ashit Vora · Answer

@simonas_kauzonas I use Apollo to find leads and outreach both. Any reason why you would use Mail Meteor over Apollo? We have our Gmail Workspace account added as Mailbox on Apollo.

I've seen many using Instantly.

What's your method for finding your first 10 paying customers?

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