Sell Before Building

Goal: Validate B2B MVP through prospect interviews and gain your first few clients (or beta testers).

My Background: As a former VP of sales for venture-backed startups, I encountered the same scenario repeatedly. Startups would promise that their product was validated and that my role would simply be to assemble the right team and drive exponential growth. In reality, I often had to spend months redefining product-market fit, refining the product, and tailoring our messaging. This experience honed my skills in verifying product fit. The best sales strategy is to have a product that genuinely solves a real problem for a specific niche (duh).

Why Startups Fail: Most startups fail not because of a bad product but due to unchallenged assumptions during product development, defining the Ideal Client Profile (ICP), and launching the go-to-market (GTM) strategy. To succeed, we must validate/challenge assumptions, gather early feedback to shape the product, and refine our messaging. This process can convert some prospects into customers at launch.

Definitions: ICP (Ideal Client Profile): The ideal customer for your product. PMF (Product Market Fit): The ability of a product to meet market demand. GTM (Go-to-Market): The plan for bringing a product to market and gaining customers.

Outreach Method: We will reach out to potential prospects for market research calls to clarify assumptions such as:

What are the top problems my ICP faces? How are they trying to solve these problems now? How do these problems affect them personally and professionally? What do they wish this experience was like?

Don't mention your product in the interviews (more on that later).

Possible Outcomes: Validation: Their answers align with what your MVP solves. Refinement: Their answers are close to what you’re building, indicating areas for improvement or a need to find a better ICP. Pivot: Their answers significantly differ, suggesting the need for a different ICP or a product pivot.

How to Outreach: LinkedIn is an effective tool for this outreach. Steps include: -Search for ICPs on LinkedIn (I know, I know). -Add them as connections and propose a paid 15-minute interview. -Use a script similar to the following

Outreach Script: "Hey, [Name]! No, this is not a sales message. I am conducting market research on [specific area] and would greatly value your insights. Could I pay you $50 for a 15-minute call? If we exceed 15 minutes, I will compensate you $75. Alternatively, I can email you the questions. I understand your time is valuable and would be beyond grateful for any insights you could share."

Why They Respond: Clarifying it's not a sales message increases response rates. Respecting their time. Acknowledging their time is worth more. Offering an email option. Personalizing the message to their experience. Many will agree to the call without requiring payment, simply to help.

The Interview: Prepare for the interview with the following questions: What are the most frustrating/anxiety-inducing part of (x workflow)? How do these issues affect you? Have you used any competitors? If so, what was your experience? What were the worst aspects of working with competitors? In an ideal world, what would the perfect solution look like? What do you wish was available to make [specific area] easier?

Preselling: During the interviews, keep the conversation focused on them. If they fit your ICP and experience the exact problem you solve, you can say: “Hey, I know I said I wouldn’t sell you anything, but it seems like what we’re building could help. Can I tell you about it?”

If they show interest, ask: “Is this something you would like us to price out for you?” or “Would you like to participate in the beta at launch?”

Happy Building (& Selling): This method will validate your MVP, provide key data to refine your product and messaging, and likely secure your first few customers or beta testers.

Clickbait title. Content spectacularly fails to accord.

market feedback != selling.

Curious what makes it clickbait though, I just read it and it seems like genuinely good advice when most products fail due to lack of marketing / sales rather than lack of technical know-how?

You may not be meaning to, but saying the "Content fails to accord" is pedantic and does not clearly explain what you find unsatisfactory about the article.

Because it seems like you're missing the point, Chris.

It isn't just about marketing or pre-selling (although that is vital for any profitable product).

It is about ensuring that if you are building something, you have open channels of feedback to who your ideal future user (or customer) may be.

I have seen many technical founders spend months and thousands of dollars building something they believe in, for it to only flop at launch.

Just as you can create technical debt in an MVP, you can also build "product debt" to create something that doesn't fit any market or solve real problems if you don't first challenge your assumptions around your ICP (or ideal market).