A founder recently asked on Reddit how to start marketing a B2B product after building it from scratch. The problem? They had no marketing experience and, more importantly, no connections to potential customers.
So why is getting your first customers so hard?
One of the biggest challenges for first-time B2B founders is that they don’t have an audience yet. And if you’ve watched enough startup advice, you’ve probably heard that your first customers usually come from your network.
But what if you don’t have the “right” connections?
You don’t need to know hundreds of potential customers to get your first leads. You need to find ways to borrow trust from people and communities that already have relationships with your potential customers.
Here are four ways I’d approach it.
- Borrow Trust From People You Already Know
Even if your potential clients aren’t in your network, you can still use it. How? By asking them to connect you with someone relevant to your startup.
Your existing connections already know and trust you. Plus, they might be connected to someone relevant to your startup. Lastly, it’s good practice for future outreach.
Your network doesn’t have to contain your customers. It just needs to contain people who know your customers.
The first thing you’ll do is collect the names and emails in your network. When I say “network,” it can be colleagues you’ve previously worked with, other founders who are not competitors, and friends who support your work.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Create a Google Sheet with these columns: name, email, channel, note (where you know them from).
- Create an email copy that says what you’ve been working on and the specific action they need to take. For example, “Introduce me to someone you know who has this specific problem.”
- Keep track of the people they’ve introduced in another Google Sheet.
For this exercise, start with a list of 10-30 people. You just need 1-3 relevant contacts from this process. Most people will likely be happy to hear from you, while others could introduce you to a valuable contact.
Even if you don’t get a customer from this process, you’re still getting practice describing your product, asking for introductions, and talking to people about the problem you’re solving.
I did this when I started freelancing.
When I started freelancing in 2021, I did the same exercise. I was working at Be.Live as a Marketing Manager, which connected me with many creators. I let them know I’d started freelancing and asked if they had any work for me. I got 2 paying clients from this process alone!
I didn’t have a sophisticated lead generation system. I simply told people I knew what I was doing and asked if they knew anyone who needed help.
That’s something you can do with your startup, too.
[ Read more: The Fastest Way to Validate Your Startup Idea ]
- Borrow Trust From Someone Else’s Community
Once you’ve gone through the people you already know, it’s time to expand and look at other people’s communities. Which Facebook Group or similar online community would your potential clients trust?
Instead of building an audience from scratch, look for people who have already built relationships with your potential customers.
For example, I had a client who was creating a tool for freelancers. He partnered with me because I already have a Slack community of more than 300 freelancers.
Together, we worked on a series of online interviews and surveys to understand the needs of his potential users.
This is useful for more than just lead generation. Working with someone who already has access to your target audience can also help you learn more about your potential customers and the problems they actually care about.
For your startup, find out which online communities they hang out in. It could be:
Once you’ve identified the community, find potential group owners and admins that you could partner with. Reach out and learn how you can collaborate.
You could offer to host an educational session, run a survey, interview members, create useful content, or find another way to provide value to the community.
The goal isn’t to immediately pitch your product to everyone in the group. It’s to build trust by working with someone who already has your potential customers’ trust.
- Build Trust Through Content
The first two strategies are outbound. Now, let’s talk about bringing potential clients to you. The best way to do that is to showcase your expertise.
There are two ways to do this:
- Written text: Choose this if you’re confident with your writing and don’t have the resources to publish videos.
- Video: Choose this if you’re confident speaking on camera and have the resources to edit and publish videos.
Personally, I always start with written content because it’s the fastest way to get your content out there. For example, you can publish a 500-word article on LinkedIn in less than an hour. Showcase your expertise and feature your product.
Here’s an example of my most popular LinkedIn post showcasing my AI workflow expertise. It was even featured in Harvard Business Review!
But don’t just publish content about your product.
Talk about the problems your customers are experiencing. Share lessons you’ve learned while solving the problem. Explain common mistakes, share customer stories, or publish research and data you’ve collected.
The goal is to give potential customers a reason to trust that you understand their problem before they ever talk to you.
If you already have case studies, publish specific results and client details.
But if you want to build trust almost instantly, videos are the way to go. According to Whitehat SEO’s published data, “93% of B2B buyers see video building trust in purchase decisions.”
Here’s an example of a video format I’m currently testing. It’s just answering questions from Reddit. Do you know Smosh on Facebook? They have a very “AITA” format video, which is very successful. I thought I could do the same, but the questions are for founders.
The first video isn’t perfect, but it took me about an hour to produce, from recording to editing in Descript.
Producing videos usually takes more time to put together, so it’s worth considering once your content process matures.
You don’t need to be everywhere, either. Pick one channel where your potential customers already spend time and consistently publish useful content there.
Need help creating content for your startup?
If you know you need to publish more content but don’t have the time or resources to build an in-house team, we can help.
A fractional content team gives startups access to the people they need to plan, create, and manage their content without hiring a full-time team.
- Build Trust Through Conversations
For B2B startups, connecting with people at online and in-person events is especially valuable. It’s a great way to:
- Get first-hand reactions from potential clients when you pitch your startup.
- Learn about the community and what’s important to them.
- Get business cards that you can put in your CRM.
I used to participate in an online coaching cafe where I was listed as a marketing expert. Business owners could book short sessions to ask specific marketing questions. It was a great way to establish my expertise while getting specific leads. The event was free!
But don’t go to events just to collect business cards. Use them as an opportunity to learn.
Ask potential customers what they’re currently doing to solve the problem, what’s frustrating about their current solution, and how often they encounter the problem.
These conversations can help you improve your pitch, understand your customers, and sometimes turn into your first leads.
Check sites like Eventbrite and LinkedIn to discover online and in-person events.
You don’t need a huge network to get your first customers.
Getting your first B2B leads isn’t about finding a magical marketing channel. At this stage, you’re trying to build trust.
That might mean asking a former colleague for an introduction, partnering with someone who already has your audience, publishing content that demonstrates your expertise, or simply talking to potential customers at an event.
Start there. Your first few customers can teach you far more about your marketing, positioning, and product than a complicated acquisition strategy ever will.
And once you know what works, you can start turning those early experiments into a repeatable marketing system.
FAQs: Getting Your First B2B Customers Without a Network
How do I get my first B2B customer?
Ask people you know for introductions. Then reach potential customers through communities, useful content, and industry events. Focus on speaking with people who experience the problem you solve rather than building a large pipeline.
What if I don’t have a network?
Start with former colleagues, friends, founders, and people from online communities. They may know potential customers. You can also build relationships in communities where your target audience already spends time.
How can I get B2B leads without spending money?
Use your existing network, community partnerships, useful content, and free events. These channels require manual effort but can generate leads while helping you better understand potential customers.
Should I focus on marketing or sales when I’m looking for my first customers?
Focus on customer conversations first. Early marketing and sales should help you understand customer needs, build trust, and refine your messaging before you invest time in creating a full marketing funnel.
