You built your MVP and you’re ready to make money in your SaaS startup. Convinced you are different from any competitor.
The problem?
No sales after days, weeks or months and you already went through the traditional route, including:
- Product Hunt launch
- Attempts to promote it on Reddit
- Added your SaaS to dozens of directories
- Inviting family and friends, just to hear a “good luck”
- Some paid ads
None of it worked.
In this blog post, I am going to talk about what you possibly can do, to acquire your first paying customers.
PS: If you’re interested in getting clients through freelancing, I suggest you read one of the chapters in my free freelancing guide right where I explain how to get your first client.
Anyways, assuming you’re building a SaaS or tool, the info below might be helpful for you.
I will talk about:
- Cold email
- Early Adopters
- SEO
- Waiting lists
- Lifetime Deals
Waiting Lists & When To Start
If I were to build a SaaS startup today, I would start with marketing right away. Before the product even is in production or build phase.
Most founders start too late with simple basics in marketing and are setting themselves up for failure. 90% of the startups fail because of it.
Instead, if you iron out a broad concept of what you plan to build as an MVP, start nurturing leads from day 1.
- Create a simple landing page
- Explain the concept of what you’re building
- Use platforms like ConvertKit, Mailchimp or Sendgrid to catch emails
- Start telling a story
The problem with most startup founders is that they lack a story. And can’t find resonance or support with an audience that is willing to follow your progress.
A waiting list can’t be ignored. I signed up for hundreds of startups just to receive a simple launch email… 6-12 months later.
The problem with that? I cannot remember
- Who you are
- What you do
- Why I signed up
My interest faded and I moved on.
When you deploy this strategy, you need to think about the impact. The impact is that you need to keep your email subscribers and waiting list hot.
- Share them your progress
- Share them your roadblocks
- Get them warmed up for a BETA launch
- Hint that they are eligible for an Early Adopter Program (more on that later)
By proactively informing your waiting list, you have a high chance of finding your first buyer/customer.
- You showed progress
- Potential clients have a lot more trust to commit when they see your progress
- Potential customers are now emotionally invested with you because of it.
How do I acquire a waiting list?
Personal brand equity will matter.
Be proactive on Reddit, X or other meaningful platforms that help you build an audience before even selling the idea to people to join your waiting list.
Start aligning your story and progress across all socials, portfolios or personal websites.
If you are not strapped for cash, you can always opt for targeted ads. However, I would only do this if you already have nailed a better offering with a promise.
Specifically offering them being an early adopter.
Early Adopters
Startup founders need to grasp the concept of it.
An early adopter is simply a risk taker and is willing to commit or pay a certain price for a startup or idea that might or might not succeed.
Early adopters are critical for a lot of companies. Not only do they provide some cash influx, but they can become an organic brand ambassador because they are simply overjoyed using your product at a discount.
Early adopters are often:
- Given a severe discount on the original price
- Are grandfathered in on future price hikes
- Are offered a lifetime deal that is the fraction of a cost
I see many startup founders fail to see the difference between ALPHA/BETA testers or early adopters.
Even though the line is very thin, I consider those testers rather a small group of non-paying clients that stress test your product for free.
EAs on the other hand come in at the next stage, once the product is a bit more mature or set to go live.
And EAs come with terms. I would only consider going this route IF:
- You clearly state that they can join as an EA in return for feedback
- You clearly state that they are grandfathered in on price hikes and updates
- You clearly state that they are the first in line to receive new updates or features
Not only helps this to establish a closer circle but they are actively involved in developing the product or SaaS for the future.
Discounts or lifetime deals are popular with early adopters. And if you offer those, be honest.
I have my stance against lifetime deals but communicate with your base that:
- They are a way to provide funding for future development and costs
- How the money will be used
I bet you find 1-20 EAs this way much faster, on the condition that you clearly state the mission, goals and purpose.
You can leverage your waiting list into this with almost a guarantee of success.
SEO & Organic Search
Not the most popular route and the most tiring one but I can not stress enough to start with SEO from day one.
Even if you only have a landing page with a waiting list, what prevents you from blogging and treating it like a niche blog?
You want to acquire inbound leads as fast as possible. And decent SEO on specific keywords can take months to rank.
Do you want to rank faster? Use the Keyword Golden Ratio. But even then, there’s more than just focusing on acquiring sales.
SEO builds authority in your field. An active blog pre-launch indicates you’re working on the business right now. And can build trust from day one.
The goal of SEO for SaaS companies is a combination of building a better reputation, showcase expertise and acquire inbound leads that can flatten out your marketing expenses over time.
This is why Kinsta is so great. One of my favorite WordPress hosting companies out there. They drilled on SEO for years and wrote about critical elements around server management, WordPress and hosting problems.
This is also reflected in their customer support team, as they are all true qualified WordPress experts to help you with 99.9% of the issues.
See SEO as an extension of your expertise and build a better company DNA around it.
Don’t wait. Start now and use my free niche blogging guide as a benchmark for inspiration.
READ: HOW TO START A NICHE BLOG FOR BEGINNERS
Cold Email
Many are so afraid of sending cold emails. I don’t know why. Fear of rejection?
So what?
Rejection is always present, but if you have zero paying clients, you should take any free route possible.
Leads can be sourced through paid platforms, or you simply start searching the web. B2B leads are easier to find ofcourse and if that’s the case, just start filtering.
Going with the assumption that you have an ICP or audience determined, start emailing 5-10-20 people each day.
The problem with most cold emails is that there’s little attention paid to the offering but rather focus on the sales part.
Cold emailing is about being subtle.
So try to:
- Keep it short
- Offer an early adopter discount, LTD or BETA testing offer
- Highlight what the user gets in return in the END of the email
- Close with a short thank you note and an invitation for a personal call
PS: I am going to write a complete guide about cold emailing, so I am keeping it short here.
If you’re interested when this free guide is published, subscribe below!
As long as you are clear in the offering with a lot of white space and a strong headline you have a shot.
You cannot forget that most people SKIM emails first and are more and more opened on mobile devices.
- So if the email is a wall of text, you will get rejected
- If the email doesn’t include bullet points, you will get rejected
- If you don’t have a clear subject line, it will never be opened
Ensure that you avoid spam words in your email and subject line. If you do, lots of email providers might send it to the recipient’s spam inbox and all your efforts go down the drain.
There are tons of filters in place that are triggered by SPAM words.
You will always have a no, but a yes can be earned through a simple well crafted cold email.
Final Note
I have seen plenty of SaaS businesses panic with no sales. But it’s a true grind to acquire those first paying clients.
No matter what, you have to make trade-offs until you gain traction. Trade-offs often involve heavy discounts and spending time on personal 1:1 calls with a potential client to showcase your SaaS.
What most also forget is simply going local and dropping flyers or fancy invite cards with a QR code in coffeeshops or local stores.
The beauty of it? Most efforts can be done with little to no money.
In case you made attempts and still struggle, you might consider 1:1 coaching with me for 1-3 months to set you back on track.
Each case is specific, and this blog post was meant to provide some perspective.