Download to read offline
Uploaded byKevin Dewalt
My slides for LeanConf Webcast
The document provides advice on how to get the first 100 customers for a new business or product. It recommends focusing on a specific niche and finding potential customers within that niche on sites like LinkedIn, Google Groups, conferences and meetups. The key is to provide helpful resources to potential customers like blog posts, answering questions, or hosting a webinar to build trust and relationships before pitching the business or product. The next step is to contact potential customers individually, listen to understand their needs, and offer suggestions to help solve problems without directly selling. This approach of being helpful builds relationships that can lead to early customers and feedback within 10-15 people, and likely the first 100 customers after that point.
More Related Content
Similar to My slides for LeanConf Webcast
My slides for LeanConf Webcast
- 1. How to GetYour 1st 100 Customers A Helpful Marketing™ webinar from Kevin Dewalt
- 2. Founder SoHelpful, 3previous Angel Investor Collabspot , Power Supply, Vericant, TBA Mentor/Advisor 1,000s, mostly Lean Startup Ruby Programmer Former VC Beijing, China kevindewalt.com @kevindewalt
- 4. And more coming… “…how quickly the iOS developer base is growing… now 9 million registered developers, which is up 47% from just last year.”
- 5. Which leads toyour problem “However, the … growth has made it more difficult for newcomers to get noticed”
- 6. Today it iseasier than ever to …
- 7.
- 8.
- 9. Scale rapidly &profitably
- 10.
- 11. So there isonly 1 thing stopping you from building the next uber-awesome-super- duper-amazing-will-make-you-rich- and-famous-company …
- 12.
- 13. Getting noticed Emailinbox overflowing More apps than she can ever use Constantly pitched on Social Media, Email. SHE DOES NOT WANT ANYTHING NEW!
- 14. Finding early customersis harder than ever • To do your Customer Development • To try your product • To give you early revenue • To give your idea validation Worst of all, most advice you read won’t work now.
- 15. Good advice –but not specific “Get out of the office” “Do things that don’t scale”
- 16. What I teachis … be HELPFUL • Stop trying to get customers to notice YOU. • Invest in them 1-on-1. • Focus on helping them – with anything – to build relationships.
- 17. Like Gary “Bettingon the human side of the business works. Its how I’ve built my businesses”
- 18. “But Kevin …I don’t know enough!” Yes, you do. Chiara Cokieng Age 23 Manila, Philippines sohelpful.me/chiaracokieng
- 19. Customers don’t carehow much you know – only that you care about helping them solve their problems.
- 20. “But Kevin …this doesn’t scale” No, it doesn’t. Helping people 1-on-1 is a way to start. Worry about scaling later.
- 21. Enough talk. Let’sdo it!
- 22. Get your 1st100 Customers 1. Go find customers. 2. Give them something helpful. 3. Help them 1-on-1.
- 23. Step 1 –Go find customers Focus, focus, focus. Pick a niche.
- 24. Focusing saves youtime My customer is ... Horrible: Small businesses Ok: Law offices Best: Partners of small law firms in Australia
- 25.
- 26. But Kevin …my big vision … Focusing to start does NOT sacrifice your big vision. **As an investor … trust me … we understand**
- 27. Now find them LinkedIn, Google Groups, Conferences, Meetups, Twitter, Quora, Associations … It takes time – weeks or months is typical.
- 28. Get your 1st100 Customers 1. Go find customers. âś” 2. Give them something helpful. 3. Help them 1-on-1.
- 29. Step 2 –Give them something helpful Congrats, you’ve found them! Don’t pitch Make building relationships your #1 goal
- 30. Give them somethingfirst We call these “TRUST-BUILDING OFFERS”
- 31. Examples Write helpfulblog post/white paper Answer questions on Twitter/Quora/LinkedIn Host a free workshop/webinar Organize a Hangout/Meetup/Conference Create a checklist Outline a time-saving workflow
- 32. Does not haveto be … Brilliant Original Beautiful **Just HELPFUL. Your goal is relationships**
- 33. Get your 1st100 Customers 1. Go find customers. âś” 2. Give them something helpful. âś” 3. Help them 1-on-1.
- 34. Step 3 –Help them 1-on-1 Look for indications of interest: Connect on LinkedIn Answer on Twitter Talk to you face-to-face Offer to help them 1-on-1
- 35. Just get themon the friggin’ phone “A good web page converts at 4%. A good phone call converts at 80%” Get them on a Skype/Hangout/phone call.
- 36. Once on thecall … Listen Ask clarifying questions Offer suggestions Your goal is to make a new relationship
- 37. Do Customer Development Dig deeper into problems as customers discuss them. Or even ask if you can do your Customer Development interview
- 38. And ask forTestimonials Free to them, hugely valuable for you.
- 39. But Kevin …isn’t this working for FREE? No. Don’t work for free. A phone call, conversation, advice is about listening & relationship building.
- 40. Get your 1st100 Customers 1. Go find customers. âś” 2. Give them something helpful. âś” 3. Help them 1-on-1. âś”
- 41. How long doesthis take? Short answer… Start noticing results after helping 10-15 customers. After helping 100 you will almost definitely be in business. Now the long answer …
- 43. Wrap-up Your customersare OVERWHELMED Getting them to notice you is TOO HARD Noticing them is an easier way to start
- 44.
- 45.
- 46. Free Course Getyour 1st 100 Customers by being helpful http://learn.helpfulcanvas.com
- 47.
- 48. Free summary blogpost kevindewalt.com/2014/08/03/get-your-first- 100-customers-by-being-helpful/ @kevindewalt
- 49.
- 50.
- 51. SoHelpful Most effectiveway to get customers on a call try.sohelpful.me