Our customers are the only investors we've ever had
We've had investors since day one, even though they've never asked for shares. They're our customers. And seeing it that way changes how you look at everyday work.
Leer más →How to get customers for your business when nobody knows you
Your first customers don't come from advertising. They come from conversations, closeness and solving one specific problem well. Then from referrals.
At the start, nobody knows you.
No reviews. No case studies. No ad budget.
And you still need customers. Tomorrow, ideally.
The good news: first customers almost never come from advertising. They come another way.
1. Choose who you want to help
"Any business that needs a website" isn't a customer. It's everyone. And everyone is no one.
"Sports clubs collecting fees by hand" is a customer. You know where they are, what worries them and how to talk to them.
The more specific, the easier.
2. Start with people who already know you
Your network is bigger than you think. Old colleagues, clients from a previous job, the club where you train, a friend's family who run a business.
Not to ask for favours. To ask: "Does this happen to you? Do you know anyone it happens to?"
3. Talk about the problem, not about you
Nobody wants to hear what you do. They want to know if you can take away a headache.
"I make software" doesn't hook anyone. "I help clubs collect fees without chasing families" does.
Nobody cares about your product. They care about their problem.
4. Go where they are
If your customers go to trade fairs, go to trade fairs. If they read an industry publication, write for it. If they meet in associations, introduce yourself.
It's slow. It's human. And it works far better than waiting to be found.
5. Do the first job incredibly well
Your first customer is your best advert.
Do it very well and they'll talk about you. Do it so-so and they won't. And in a small industry, everyone knows everyone.
6. Ask for the referral
When a customer is happy, say so: "Do you know anyone I could help the same way?"
Most will say yes. You just have to ask.
7. Write about what you know
Over time, sharing what you learn attracts people with the same problem. A blog, a newsletter, articles in industry media.
It won't bring customers in week one. It brings customers for years.
What I wouldn't do at the start
- Pay for ads without knowing what converts. First understand what works by talking to people.
- Outsource sales. At the start, selling yourself is the best way to learn the market.
- Cut prices to win customers. You attract people who buy on price. And they leave on price.
The underlying idea
Getting your first customers isn't marketing. It's trust.
And trust is built one at a time: one conversation, one job well done, one referral.
Slow. But what's built that way holds.
P.S. Why it pays to sell yourself at the start: outsourcing sales means outsourcing what you know about your market.