4 builders who never spoke to each other

Sell the first ones in the room with the buyer

Turn up where the customers physically are, carry whatever you can hand over, and close on the spot. Founders who did this outsold anything their early online presence could deliver, and the signup happens while the person is still in front of you.

The method

1. 01

   Sell the first memberships face to face at a party before you can deliver anything, and let people sign up in the room.

2. 02

   Sell face to face at the events your customers already attend, carrying stock with you so you can close on the spot.

3. 03

   Recruit supply side partners in person. Phone calls and posted letters both work to a degree, but walking into the premises and talking face to face beats both.

4. 04

   If your buyers have physical shops, walk in with a laptop, start their free trial in person and complete the setup with them on the spot.

5. 05

   While you are still small enough, recruit every customer by hand instead of hiding behind acquisition metrics and social follower counts.

What it returned

• 2

  Indy Hall held a signing event at a local bar the night before signing its lease and opened with 2 full time, 4 lite and 23 basic members, worth $1,825 a month, which covered the rent before the lease existed. It was profitable in under four months.

• 1964

  Phil Knight spent spring 1964 driving around the Pacific Northwest selling Nike's first Japanese shipment out of his car at track meets

• Growth on the garage side of My Auto Shop came from calls, physical mail and above all from turning up at the garage in person.

• Suggested for apps aimed at corner shops, pharmacies or ice cream shops

Sources

• The ultimate guide to structuring your coworking space membershipsAlex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · How we figured out the levels · 2015-10-01
• How Jeff Johnson sold Nike's first shoesHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · How Jeff Johnson sold Nike's first shoes · undated
• Chapter 5: Getting Your First Customers - Tyler TringasTyler Tringas · tylertringas.com · Business directories (or hit the streets) · 2017-01-19
• Building and Growing the Airbnb for Car MaintenanceAndy Bowie · failory.com · Which were your marketing strategies to grow your business? · undated