How did you acquire your first business client?

Together with my friends, I’m creating a tool. Parallely we’re reaching out to people on LinkedIn to help us test our product for free. We’re not hearing back from anyone. Therefore, any advice you could give based on your expertise would be helpful.

If business customers are your true target, it’s likely that they have more important things to do with their time and money than to test your product and provide you with feedback. For them, what’s in that? How would you go about this? What’s the tool for?

I work full-time in enterprise sales and am a former founder.

To clarify, when we talk about “enterprise,” we’re generally referring to large organizations with several hundred to thousands of employees, such as those in the Fortune 500. Enterprise sales often involve lengthy deal cycles and multiple decision-makers, so it’s understandable that you might not have gained traction yet.

Consider it from their perspective: why would they risk switching to or testing your product? It’s a significant commitment and potential time sink for any organization. Breaking into this market usually requires a compelling offer, a solid product, and persistent outreach, potentially with referrals.

You’re on the right path—first, focus on achieving product-market fit (PMF). Offer free trials or pilot programs to attract users and gather feedback. Without a clear need for your product, marketing efforts will be ineffective. Use feedback to assess the need and refine your minimum viable product (MVP).

For customer acquisition, employ a balanced mix of outbound and inbound strategies. While mastering each approach can be complex, you can start with the basics found online or on platforms like Reddit:

Outbound Strategies:

  • Cold calling
  • Cold emailing
  • LinkedIn outreach
  • Networking events
  • Strategic partnerships

Inbound Strategies:

  • Digital marketing (SEO, social media, ads)
  • Content creation (website, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.)

Consistency is crucial. Experiment with different channels to find what works best for you, and focus on those, but don’t ignore other methods. A multi-channel approach often yields the best results.

incredibly helpful. I’d love to get in touch with you because I founded a startup software company. I think your advice could be useful to me.

Even if you don’t want to charge them for the initial response, try not to frame it as “free” and instead provide it strategically, especially when interacting with strangers.

We did the same to convince folks to try our product.

Make sure the message is at least somewhat personalized for them and doesn’t come across as overly salesy.

It’s preferable if you initiate contact and make a connection request first.

Furthermore, I’m presuming that the people you’re using your tool for are the proper ones. Determine who your early adopters are and whether they are experiencing the issue. Are they aware that they have an issue? Are they attempting to resolve that issue? Is the answer less good than yours?

We created an app just for pet stores, and our neighborhood’s residents were the first to test our SaaS. Therefore, a more conventional strategy of personally contacting prospects could be a better choice if you truly want them to give it a try—especially for enterprise clients.

To determine where your crowd congregates, use Sparktoro.

Check out some of April Sanford’s books about positioning.

Create material with SEO optimization that explains the problem your tool resolves.

Moreover, create personalized videos for prospects on LinkedIn.