Guides · Sales
How to Get Your First 10 Customers: A Practical Guide for Start-ups
A practical guide for founders to winning the first ten customers for a start-up or small software business, from picking who to sell to through to the close.
Every start-up has the same early problem. You’ve built something good, but nobody knows about it yet. The first ten customers are the hardest to win, and they almost always come from the founder doing the selling.
These are the steps we use with founders.
1. Pick a narrow group to sell to
“Small businesses” is too broad. “Independent opticians in the UK with two to five branches” is something you can work with. A narrow group means:
- You can find them and make a list
- You can speak their language
- Word spreads, because they know each other
Pick the group whose problem is most painful and who can most easily buy from you.
2. Write the problem in their words
Before you talk about your product, be able to describe their problem the way they would. If you can say it so clearly that they nod along, you’re ready to sell.
3. Make a list of 100
Use LinkedIn, industry directories, event attendee lists, communities and your own network. For each person, note their name, role, company and anything relevant you know about them. One hundred real, relevant names beats ten thousand scraped emails.
4. Reach out personally
Write short, personal messages. No pitch decks, no long paragraphs.
Hi Amira, I noticed you run three branches across Leeds. We’re building a tool that cuts the time opticians spend chasing recall appointments. I’d love 15 minutes to hear how you handle it today. Not a sales call, I’m trying to learn. Open to a chat next week?
Follow up two or three times if you don’t hear back. Many replies come on the second or third message.
5. Run discovery calls that listen
On the call, ask more than you talk. Useful questions:
- How do you handle this today?
- What does it cost you, in time or money?
- What have you tried before?
- What would need to be true for you to change?
- Who else would be involved in a decision like this?
Take notes. These calls are your best source of messaging, product ideas and website copy.
6. Ask for the sale
Founders often avoid this. If the problem is real and your product helps, ask:
Based on what you’ve told me, I think we can help. Would you like to be one of our first ten customers? We’re offering an early price in return for feedback.
The worst they can say is no, and “no, because…” is useful to hear.
7. Track everything
Use a simple pipeline, even a spreadsheet: contacted, replied, call booked, proposal sent, won, lost. After a few weeks you’ll see where deals get stuck. See our guide on building a sales process from scratch.
8. Make your website match what buyers say
Use the words from your discovery calls on your website. Say who it’s for, what problem it solves and what to do next (book a demo, start a trial). A clear website makes every outreach message work harder, because people check you out before they reply.
9. Turn your first customers into proof
Ask happy early customers for a quote, a short case study or a referral. Proof from a real customer in your target group is worth more than any marketing you can write.
10. Write down what worked
Once you’ve won your first ten, write down who bought, why, what they said, and how the sale went. That becomes the playbook for your next ten, and for the first salesperson you hire.
Want help with your first sales?
We help start-ups and small tech businesses with messaging, websites and founder-led sales. See websites and sales help for small tech businesses, or read what a fractional CRO does.
