How I Got My First 100 Customers
Introduction
Hey everyone! I wanted to share my journey of getting my first 100 customers for my SaaS application. It’s been mentally quite challenging and definitely not the fairy tale that everyone dreams it will be. I hope my experience can help others who are on a similar path.
Background
To give you some context, my SaaS application Dawnvox (www.dawnvox.com) is a customer feedback tool that businesses can embed on their website or share externally. Dawnvox then analyzes the feedback, generates trends, performs sentiment analysis, and lets you target users based on triggered events. I launched it a couple of months ago, and here’s how I got my first 100 customers.
Personally, I also have a background in tech, so I was able to build everything myself. This was huge for me as it saved a lot of time and money. I appreciate not everyone is in the same situation, but what I did, I think, can be applied to most people.
Step 1: Identifying the Target Audience
I knew the market for customer survey/feedback tools was decent, as we use them at my work and they are very helpful. The problem is they are so expensive and generally target enterprises. For small startups getting off the ground, clear feedback is important, but so is sticking to your budget!
Because I had the skillset, I knew I could build this myself. It just started as a technical exercise to see what would happen if I did build such a tool. I set myself a two-week timeframe. I didn’t want this to become a time suck, and I already have a great job that keeps me busy. Still, I was curious about what the end product would look like.
Step 5: Leveraging Communities
To be honest, I’ve tried launching products in the past many times, and they all failed. Therefore, I wasn’t expecting much!
I didn’t have the mental energy to write heaps of blog articles, go to Facebook groups, Reddit, etc. I’d done this before, and I failed. To be fair, that’s a poor reflection on me, not the methods.
This time, I decided I would try my hand at LinkedIn and specifically reach out to people directly, first in my personal network and then more broadly.
But first, I scrolled through all the contacts on my phone.
At first, I thought I didn’t have much of a network, but as I scrolled through my contacts, I realized I was wrong. Over the years and through different jobs, I met a lot of developers, product managers, and random tech people, many of whom I thought might be interested and at least give the product a spin. In total, I messaged, emailed, and called around 50 contacts.
Initially, it felt super awkward. But out of the 50-odd contacts, 9 signed up, and 2 became paying customers. Ok, not amazing, but it was a start.
Next, I did the same with my LinkedIn network, which got me another 30 signups.
My brother-in-law got me onto the LinkedIn Sales Navigator tool, which allows you to target people in specific markets and by job title.
I rinsed and repeated the process of contacting as many as I could this way, and over the course of 2 months, I got my 100 customers.
Step 6: Offering Incentives
I have a LAUNCH50 coupon that offers everyone 50% off their first payment.
I gave this to everyone who signed up.
Step 7: Continuous Feedback Loop
User Feedback: I regularly sought feedback from users to improve the product. This helped in retaining customers and attracting new ones through word-of-mouth.
Iteration: I iterated on features and user experience based on feedback, making the product better with each update.
I made it a goal to try and arrange a call with every user that signed up. Not everyone wanted that, but I think I’ve spoken to about 30 customers face-to-face now. I can’t stress how valuable their feedback has been.
I took what I heard, identified the key trends, and then built! I also asked on these calls if the customer could think of anyone they’d be willing to share this product with. I’m sure I’ve gotten referrals through that.
Results and Reflections
- Milestones: Within 2 months, I hit the 100-customer mark. It was a mix of direct sales and some referrals.
- Lessons Learned: Persistence and adaptability were key. Listening to customers and being active in communities made a huge difference.
Conclusion
Getting the first 100 customers was challenging but incredibly rewarding. If you’re in the same boat, stay persistent and keep learning. Feel free to ask me any questions—I’m happy to help!
I’ve learned so much from everyone here, so I just thought I’d share what I’ve been up to and what seems to have worked thus far! I have a long way to go yet!
