#Entrepreneurship #FirstCustomer #LaunchDayJitters
Hey fellow entrepreneurs! I’m about to launch my product and I’m feeling the nerves kick in big time. 🚀 How long did it take you to get your first customer after launch? And most importantly, how did you handle the jitters leading up to that crucial moment?
Here are a few things that worked for me to land that first sale, hopefully they can help you too:
– Networking like crazy 🤝
– Offering a killer launch promotion 🎁
– Leveraging social media and online marketing 📱💻
Any other tips or war stories to share? Let’s help each other out and conquer those launch day butterflies together! 🦋💪 #SupportingEntrepreneurs
That varies by market, sales process, type of product, etc. Some products get customers immediately; while others require a long sales cycle (enterprise products, for example). Both types of products can be equally valuable.
My recommendation: try not to build/hype up the “launch” in your mind. Building a successful business is a long term process, and success is not dependent on the launch. Your plans for sales and finding PMF should be much more elaborate and long term than the launch day.
The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The second best time is today.
Ideally you should have a set of early customers already lined up willing to try your product. If you don’t spend a day or two reaching out to friends and family, linked in connections, etc.
Most people are willing to help, but you have to ask.
TLDR: promote before you build.
If you’re nervous to launch it means you’re not promoting. Your launch will likely be stagnant.
But that’s okay. That’s normal.
A launch seems like a big deal.
However, the real focus should be on the next 2-3 of promoting it and pivoting it until you find market fit and loyal customers.
Some of my attempts.
First product B2C info website:
150 newsletter subscribers in first 2 months; realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do.
Second product job board ( https://jschimp.com/ ):
30 job seekers in first month. 200 job seekers in 6 months. Pivot to commission based. 1250 job seekers in 1.5 years. Some small nibbles from companies. ~2 year in 1400 job seekers and first paying customer commission of $6K. Still building and promoting.
Third product B2C AI cold email tool:
one $20 pre-sale when I surveyed 3 companies before building.
Fourth product B2B cold email info product:
350 email waitlist before “building”. Considering if I want to write this info product or not.
If you don’t get a bunch of customers on day one, you were doing something super wrong. I don’t give a fuck what all the podcasts say.
10 months after going all-in. $15k deal. In a good market. Pre-product. Still a customer 3 years later.
Landed my first customer the same day we started the company (before launching our product). What I can say is you have to be the biggest cheerleader to your startup and greatest salesman. Charisma is huge and even if your product is great or a bit rough is okay! Trust your team, trust your vision, and work to make it better, even if it’s a great product! Launches are never perfect so display your vision and have your customers feel your commitment and confidence whether it is good or shaky
I got my first customer about a month after launch by reaching out to friends, family, and professional contacts who might need my product. Networking at local events and online forums helped too, as did promoting the product on social media.
Congrats on the launch! It’s normal to be nervous. First sales can vary wildly, but focus on pre-launch marketing to build buzz.
actually we’re working hard to get as many users as possible before the lauch
do a quick validation using free Google Keyword Planner tool. you can figure out how big your market is, and estimate how valuable your product is. gives you confidence to keep going, sometimes that’s all you need to persist and get your business of the ground!
I would say getting customers is a process so see which marketing channel works for you and your business. It’s just trial and error tbh, see if it works for you and if it doesn’t, try some other methods but don’t stop
B2B vs B2C are very different answers here.
My startup is B2B, and we had a customer lined up for our MVP launch and then pulled in 7 more over an 8 month span. Working closely with a few key customers early on allowed us to test and make changes before building our scalable software. My Co-Founder worked in the industry for 17 years so had lots of connections and a good reputation.
B2C ideally you’ve already got a waitlist or Beta customers lined up.
make sure you are targeting the right keywords and also do good keyword research to ensure you are targeting the right keywords. Have a look at SERPtag it has helped me out a lot with keyword tracking and keyword research
If you launched before the first customer, I would humbly and strongly suggest you have done things in the incorrect order.
I know that’s not what you want to hear, but if your mentors aren’t telling you this, they are not doing what they’re supposed to be, and that’s to the detriment of your startup.
Please look up Steve Blank’s free Udemy. It’s the OG explanation.
3 days!