A Fresh Approach to Landing Your First 10 B2B Clients
After developing your B2B product, the next challenge is acquiring clients.
You compile an impressive list of 7,000 prospective users who appear to be perfect fits for your offering.
With excitement, you upload these contacts into your email marketing tool, crafting a compelling cold email designed to capture attention.
With one click, you launch your outreach, envisioning a thriving future, perhaps even a $50 million Series A funding round just around the corner.
But the next day, you face a harsh reality when you check the analytics: 7,000 emails sent, a mere 27% open rate, and a dismal 0.2% response rate.
It’s a sobering reminder that despite your efforts, your email may have failed to connect.
Pause for a moment and consider this: How many cold emails do you receive daily? And out of those, how many products have you actually purchased in the last year? The answers often tilt towards “too many” and “none.” This raises an essential question: What makes you think your outreach will stand out in such an overwhelming noise?
Rethink Your Strategy:
- Instead of targeting a vast list, select 10 to 20 companies that genuinely match your ideal client profile.
- Set yourself a clear goal: “I want to secure meetings with all 20 of these companies within the next month.”
- Take action.
This might seem too simple, but honing in on a smaller number of prospects can ignite your creativity.
Focusing your sales efforts on a select few organizations enables you to develop unique strategies to engage entities unfamiliar with your brand.
Rather than fretting over scalability or resource limitations, commit to forging meaningful connections that can dramatically improve your outreach effectiveness.
Seeking introductions from investors becomes feasible when your list is short.
Writing thoughtful direct messages is manageable when you’re addressing just a few key individuals.
Engaging with their social media content is less intimidating when you limit your focus to a handful of decision-makers.
Running targeted ads on platforms like LinkedIn is more cost-effective when you know exactly who you want to reach.
By taking this focused route, aiming for 2-6 substantial meetings within 30 days becomes a realistic goal.
One founder I know managed to schedule 7 meetings in just 17 days by concentrating on 20 companies; results, however, will vary.
A Tactical Approach to Take:
- Create a targeted list of 20 companies that are the right fit for your offering.
- Set a 30-day target: “I will engage at least 6 of these companies in conversations.”
- Use platforms like Apollo or ZoomInfo to compile details of relevant contacts at each organization—aim for about 10 contacts per company.
- Reach out to these individuals on LinkedIn without adding a message; this often improves acceptance rates.
As you connect with these prospects, brainstorm one or two creative outreach methods for each organization to ensure you stand out.
Examples of Creative Outreach:
- For a company like Zapier:
- Contacts: Nikki and 11 others.
- Strategy: Seek a mutual introduction via a common investor.
- For a company like Rippling:
- Contacts: Mike and 7 others.
- Strategy: Offer an interview with Mike around relevant themes for an upcoming blog.
- For PagerDuty:
- Contacts: Aakash and 12 others.
- Strategy: Send a personalized treat, like cookies, along with a handwritten note to their office.
Let your creativity flow for each of your selected companies.
Shift from merely reaching out to envisioning how you would like to be approached if the roles were reversed.
Additional Tactics to Consider: – Warm introductions can significantly boost your success rate.
Although coordinating them can be tricky, many executives often leverage these connections. – Consider influencer marketing; sending personalized messages from prominent figures can create an exciting opportunity. – Utilize content marketing to offer insights, humor, or valuable advice that resonates with your target audience. – Sending treats, such as pastries or coffee, can help create a positive and memorable impression. – A unique, carefully curated gift can leave a lasting mark; pair a light-hearted item with your resume for an interesting touch. – Hosting dinners with industry leaders can position you as an influential figure within your niche. – Don’t overlook cold calling—it may not be as outdated as some think and can still facilitate valuable connections. – Consider hyper-personalized product demonstrations tailored to individual prospects for a lasting impact. – Invite prospects to interview them for your content, fostering richer conversations. – Engage potential clients through targeted advertising on platforms like LinkedIn.
While not every strategy may suit your product or market, carefully choosing a few, and executing them with intention, can bring about far more favorable results than relying solely on generic cold emails.
Final Thoughts: Navigating the landscape to secure your first B2B clients can be intimidating, but a focused and innovative approach can dramatically boost your success.
By narrowing your targets and employing creative tactics, you can cultivate the essential relationships that lay the groundwork for a thriving client base.
Chris Bakke, a seasoned entrepreneur with a rich background, including founding Laskie (later acquired by Twitter) and Interviewed (acquired by Indeed), shares these insights drawn from years in the entrepreneurial trenches.
Source: Producthunt