How To Get Your First 10 Customers

Your first customers are different.

When nobody knows your company yet, you don't have momentum working for you.

You may not have reviews.

You may not have a big portfolio.

You may not have referrals.

You may not have thousands of followers.

So what do you do?

You go get the customers.

Manually.

A mistake new entrepreneurs make is thinking marketing will somehow magically deliver customers.

They post three times.

Nobody buys.

They say:

“Marketing doesn't work.”

No.

You haven't marketed yet.

Your first customers often come from conversations.

Relationships.

Outreach.

Referrals.

Networking.

Direct selling.

You have to create activity.

Start with what I call your first one hundred.

Create a list of one hundred people or businesses that fit one of three categories.

Potential customers.

Potential referral partners.

Or people who can introduce you to potential customers.

Now reach out.

Not with spam.

Not with:

“Hey, buy my thing.”

Have a conversation.

Tell people clearly what you do.

“I've started a company helping X achieve Y.”

Then ask:

“Do you know anyone dealing with this problem?”

You would be surprised how much opportunity exists inside your existing network.

But people cannot refer you if they don't understand what you do.

Clarity matters again.

If someone asks what your business does and you need four minutes to explain it, your message is too complicated.

Your sentence should be simple.

“We help local restaurants increase repeat customers through automated loyalty marketing.”

Good.

“I help former athletes turn their expertise into online coaching businesses.”

Good.

“I help busy professionals improve strength and conditioning with three workouts a week.”

Good.

People understand it.

Next strategy: direct outreach.

Cold outreach scares people because they don't like rejection.

But business requires you to become comfortable with hearing no.

No does not mean you're worthless.

It means no.

Move on.

Your goal isn't to convince everybody.

Your goal is to find the right people.

Keep outreach short.

Relevant.

Personal.

Talk about their problem, not your biography.

Don't send someone six paragraphs about how amazing your company is.

They don't care yet.

Show them that you understand something relevant to them.

Then create a simple next step.

Would you be open to a fifteen-minute conversation?

Can I send you a quick example?

Would you like me to show you what I noticed?

Simple.

Next: partnerships.

Who already has your customer?

Not competitors necessarily.

Complementary businesses.

If you're a sports nutrition professional, gyms may have your audience.

If you're a real estate photographer, agents have your audience.

If you're a business consultant, accountants and attorneys may know business owners.

Build relationships.

Create mutual value.

Don't walk in asking:

“What can you give me?”

Ask:

“How can we help each other's customers?”

Next: referrals.

After you deliver a great result, ask.

People assume happy customers will automatically refer them.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes they don't think about it.

Ask respectfully.

“If you know somebody else dealing with this same issue, I'd appreciate an introduction.”

Make it easy.

Next: proof.

Your early customers are important because they help you create proof.

Testimonials.

Case studies.

Before-and-after results.

Screenshots where appropriate.

Documented outcomes.

Stories.

That proof makes future sales easier.

But never fake proof.

Don't fabricate testimonials.

Don't exaggerate results.

Trust is too valuable.

Next: local activity.

People forget how powerful face-to-face interaction can be.

Go where customers are.

Industry events.

Networking groups.

Community organizations.

Conferences.

Trade shows.

Gyms.

Professional associations.

Sometimes one relationship can create more business than a month of posting online.

Next: content.

Your audience may be small.

That's okay.

Teach.

Answer questions.

Demonstrate expertise.

Show work.

Explain problems.

Provide useful ideas.

Content works like a salesperson who doesn't sleep.

Someone can discover you while you're doing something else.

But content works best when it supports a clear business strategy.

Don't post random content just because you're trying to be active.

Create content connected to the problem you solve.

Now let's talk volume.

Suppose you contact ten potential customers and nobody responds.

That's discouraging.

But ten is not data.

Try one hundred qualified conversations.

Track:

Contacted.

Replied.

Call booked.

Proposal sent.

Sale.

Now you can diagnose.

If nobody replies, your targeting or message may be wrong.

If people reply but don't book, your call to action may be weak.

If they book but don't buy, your sales process or offer may need work.

Business becomes less emotional when you have numbers.

Now quality matters too.

Don't blast ten thousand irrelevant people.

A smaller list of highly relevant prospects can outperform mass spam.

Do your homework.

Understand who you're contacting.

Now here's something else.

Your first customers may require more effort than customer number one hundred.

That's normal.

Eventually referrals develop.

Your brand gets stronger.

Your content compounds.

Your sales system improves.

But somebody has to start the machine.

That's you.

So I want you to complete a 30-day customer acquisition challenge.

Every business is different, but here's the principle.

Create consistent daily customer-generating activity.

Reach out to qualified prospects.

Follow up with old conversations.

Ask for introductions.

Publish useful content.

Attend relevant events.

Talk to potential partners.

Make offers.

Every day.

And track the activity.

Don't finish the week saying:

“I worked really hard.”

Tell me:

I contacted sixty prospects.

Had eighteen conversations.

Booked nine sales calls.

Sent five proposals.

Closed three clients.

That's business.

Activity creates opportunity.

Your first customers are not going to magically discover you because you created a beautiful company.

Go find them.

Talk to people.

Solve problems.

Deliver exceptional value.

Ask for referrals.

Build proof.

Then repeat.

That's how momentum starts.