Dear SaaStr: How Do I Get My First 10 Customers?
Look — You’ve Got To Hustle.
The first 10 customers are all about doing things that don’t scale. It’s not about building a perfect sales machine yet—it’s about getting scrappy and finding anyone who will pay you for your product. Here’s how you do it:
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Start with your network. Reach out to anyone you know who might be even remotely interested in your product. Friends, former colleagues, LinkedIn connections—this is where you start. People buy from people they trust, and as a founder, you’re the best salesperson for your product right now. Customers love talking to the CEO, even if you’re not a “salesperson”.
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Solve a real problem — in a way others don’t. If your product solves a pain point, you’ll find people willing to pay for it. But you need to be crystal clear about the problem you’re solving and who you’re solving it for. If you’re not sure, talk to potential customers and listen. The feedback will guide you.
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Knock on doors. Literally and/or figuratively. Send cold emails, make cold calls, show up at events—whatever it takes to get in front of potential customers. It’s uncomfortable, but it works. At Adobe Sign, we called these early customers “beer money” because they barely paid the bills, but they were the foundation for everything that came later.
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Offer free trials or discounts. If you’re struggling to get people to commit, make it easier for them to say yes. Cheaper isn’t always a positive. But too expensive can add friction. A free trial or a steep discount can lower the barrier to entry, at the margin Just make sure you’re learning from these early customers and turning them into advocates.
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Leverage early adopters. Find people who are willing to take a chance on something new. These are often smaller companies or individuals who are more flexible and open to experimentation. They’ll give you feedback and help you refine your product.
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Lean on relationships. If you’ve got any connections in your target market, use them. Ask for introductions, referrals, or testimonials. Relationships are everything in the early days.
- Hustle at the top events in your industry. Customers are always there. You can buy a booth later. For now, just go and — hustle.
- Get every bit of PR you can. Even small stuff can get you a lead or two. Do ProductHunt, get on TechCrunch, join anyone’s podcast in your industry.
- Writing some incredible, S-tier content. Content marketing and SEO are changing with AI, but still remain incredibly powerful. Write one S-tier, incredibly high value piece of content a week.
And remember, the first 10 customers won’t come to you. You have to go to them.
It’s a grind, but once you get those first 10, you’ll have the momentum to get to 20, then 40, and so on. Just keep pushing. If you can get 10, you can get 100.
