Pivoted, got our first paying customer... now what??

[calathea]

@futuretrainee You might be able to get some cashflow from users by offering a lifetime plan for a big upfront cost

 

[aussiebanana]

@calathea No. Why do you think it's a valid choice M

 

[arustadb]

@futuretrainee Well done.

What's your customer profile? Where can you find more of them? What problem are you solving for them?

Your best bet is to start with a plan. You have to be clear on who you are target customer is.

Now, the secret is, there is no generic answer to your question. Every success story has a unique aspect. But what they all have in common is they went to where their customers are.

Your next nine customers will probably all come from different sources. That's great. Don't worry about scalable tactics right now.

What you need is to streamline your offer. Figure out the sweet spot for what people want from you. Then, you start writing sales copy and content based on what you discover. So you get feedback, apply it to your messaging, and back again.

What you are looking for is how to crack your market. What's that offer that they can't resist. What are they already looking for within what you have.

Once you have discovered that, you can then look for ways to scale your marketing.

But right now, you fortune lives in the manual work you do.

 

[futuretrainee]

@arustadb "But right now, you fortune lives in the manual work you do." - Man-o-man this one hits home. I find it that the more I just put in the hard work and long hours, the more I see it pay off.

Also after reading all these replies I am seeing a constant theme, I got to first figure out who the heck my customer is -> figure out my offer -> and slowly start to refine what is working vs what is not.

It is kind of like Bayesian statistics. First you don't know what you are looking for -> then you slowly use previous wins to update how you find and close new customers.

Thank you for the super helpful tips!

 

[arustadb]

@futuretrainee No probs. Check out the pinned post on my profile for an example of how I’ve applied this process.

 

[futuretrainee]

@arustadb Yo just started reading it, that inspires me a bunch! ready to lock in and get this off the ground

 

[arustadb]

@futuretrainee I'm glad to be of help. Make it happen.

 

[mudin]

@futuretrainee Several additional suggestions:

1. Ask your customer for permission to use their name in marketing materials. Give them the best service humanly possible to keep them very very happy.
2. Build a case study out from their implementation so you can use it as pitch material. The most powerful case studies are quantitative and better yet have ROI $ attached, so help them identify and measure several KPIs that are improved by your product addressing their pain point. This will allow you to cold email similar companies and say “we helped XYZ save $Xk/year through ABC, and would love to see how we can help you do the same”.
3. In addition to ICP, pinpoint which personas are likely to be your champions (who attended your demo and convinced their peers to use your product?) vs economic buyers (who ultimately made the decision to buy?). These are the personas you want to target at companies that fit your ICP. Make a list of these relevant job titles, then reach out to these people on LinkedIn / email / phone.

 

[futuretrainee]

@mudin Wow this helped a lot. The idea of a case study is really interesting to me. I hadn't thought about that yet. But that seems like a really cool way to build other customers trust. Also very unique because its like a highly personal/in-depth product review.

The last point (3) you made also is very helpful along with all the other comments people have made. I am starting to piece together what I need when I am doing sales. Personas, buyers vs attendees, Linkedin Sales Navigator, etc..

Thank you for the advice!

 

[tongdtbds4]

@futuretrainee ask them to refer you to their friends, customers, and vendors

 

[futuretrainee]

@tongdtbds4 I am scheduling a meeting with them to ask this very thing! Then mentioned to me another business they knew that could potentially have the same issue! Will keep you updated on how that goes. Thanks for the advice!