A young startup founder said to me “I don’t have any money or connections. How do I get my first customer?”
Don’t buy into the myth that you need money and contacts to get your first customer. I was in the same boat when I started my first company.
How to Get My First Customer
You have time, energy and motivation. That’s all you need. Get scrappy. Here is how to get your first customer.
Step 1: Reaching Out to the Right Audience
Identify the characteristics of your ideal customer. Make a list – this is the the beginning of your ideal customer profile (ICP).
If you sell higher priced products and services to other businesses (B2B – business to business), your ideal customer profile will be a description of a company rather than an individual. If you sell to consumers (B2C – business to consumer), your profile will describe the characteristics of the individual buyer.
For B2B, there’s a second part of creating this profile: identify the actual buyers inside the company. This is called the buyer persona and is typically the role or title of the person who: 1) uses your product or service, 2) who influences the buying decision, and/or 3) who writes the check. These individuals can be the same person or different people depending on what you sell.
Knowing the profile of your ideal customer is a critical step in getting your first customer. Otherwise, you’ll spend your time and efforts without getting far.
Start looking up your ideal clients on LinkedIn or use a database of company contacts (there are so many out there like Apollo, ZoomInfo, SalesIntel, Lusha, SeamlessAI).
For B2C, your ideal client profile and the buyer persona is one in the same. Think about where this type of individual goes to find products or services like yours.
To create a message that will resonate with your prospects, you’ll have to spend time thinking about the problem you’re solving for them in a way that’s easy to grasp.
Listen to the full podcast I did with messaging expert Daniel Heimlich on how to develop a strong marketing message. He goes through several examples of ways to articulate your value proposition, which is the reason someone would buy from you.
I’ve found that telling a story in one line enables your prospect to identify with the picture you paint that highlights why they should talk with you. There is an art to storytelling and everyone can do it. You just need to follow the steps to identify the hero, villain, and guide in your story.
Watch this 25-minute webinar on How to Craft Captivating Stories That Sell to learn how to talk about your products and services in ways that entice prospects to learn more:
Now it’s time to reach out to get your first customer. Pick up the phone and reach out to the prospects you’ve identified. Also, email them with your message.
Shrug off the low response.
This is very normal. Out of 10 calls, you might connect with 1. Out of 100 emails, you might hear back from 3. Take it in stride.
It takes time to make connections and get prospects to respond, which is why I’ve listed Step 2 below on how to drive inbound leads. Inbound leads take longer to acquire so start with your outbound efforts.
If you provide a subscription service, you can offer a beta trial and work diligently to make your first users successful so you iron out the kinks in your product.
Step 2: Becoming a Thought Leader
Start posting educational content on social media starting with your LinkedIn account and forums that your prospects likely visit. When you incorporate keywords that your audience thinks about, Google will start ranking your website for terms that you want to be found on.
Writing is easier than you might think.
And it will most definitely accelerate your answer to “how do I get my first customer?”
Read my detailed guide on keyword discovery to identify the terms that are relevant for your business. You can also see a few sample keywords and how to know what to write about in these additional articles:
- MSP SEO and the Ultimate MSP Keywords That Capture Leads
- SEO for Life Coaches and the Ultimate Life Coaching Keywords
- Lawn Care SEO and the Best Keywords for Lawn Care Companies
Next, post informative comments on other people’s social media posts – those you would like as customers.
Write informative blogs and comment on articles by other bloggers in your space. Again, use the keyword research I mentioned above. That will help you attract prospects looking for the experience you have.
Start a podcast and contact prospects you find on LinkedIn to see if they would like to be a guest to talk about how they are solving problems related to your niche.
As your audience starts to see you as a source of thought leadership, you will start to build a following who will be interested in your product.
Yes, all this takes time. Right now you have more time than money. The steps above are your blueprint to get your first customer without money or connections.
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Author
Raj Khera, 3x CEO and CMO and Publisher of MoreBusiness.com
