Selling From Zero in a Startup That Nobody Knows

#CROplaybook

This is one of the most common — and paralyzing — moments for founders:

“We’ve built something. It works (sort of). What do we actually do now to sell it?”

You’ve hustled, shipped, tested, maybe even deployed an MVP. There’s something live.

But now the weight shifts to something scarier: turning that into revenue.

Here’s how to move from product exists to pipeline builds — without losing time, focus, or direction.

1. Friends & Family: Good for Feedback, Bad for Forecasts

Your network is the easiest first move — they’ll take your calls, give input, and cheer you on.

But they’re not the real test.

They’re emotionally invested — not commercially driven
They won’t push back like real buyers
They rarely reflect your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

✅ Use them to sharpen your story — not validate your market.

Your first real signal? A stranger with pain and budget asking for a meeting.

2. Your Brand Doesn’t Exist — So Anchor in the Problem

No one is Googling your company name. You’re invisible. That’s OK — if you focus on what people actually care about.

Lead with pain, not product
Share insights, not specs
Join conversations that matter to your ICP
Be loud about the problem you obsess over

👉 Borrow trust before you earn it.

Customers won’t remember your logo — but they’ll remember who helped them think differently.

3. Executives Don’t Read Cold Emails — Unless They Have to

Decision-makers don’t respond to spam. But they will respond to relevance.

To break through:

Use trigger events: funding, breaches, regulation, new execs
Offer insight, not intros
Leverage warm intros through investors, advisors, and happy users
Don’t overlook bottom-up champions — they unlock rooms you can’t reach

🧠 Executives buy when you show them something they hadn’t considered — and make it urgent.

4. Avoid the “Exotic Detour” Trap

Early customers will stretch you. They’ll ask for roadmap changes, integrations, and features that seem exciting but pull you off-course.

Sometimes they come with logos you really want. That’s the danger.

Ask yourself:

- Is this still our ICP?

- Will this customer teach us something we can reuse?

- Or is this a shiny distraction?

🚫 Every yes that’s off-road is a quiet no to your real market.

Stay on track.

5. Practical Moves That Work in the First 90 Days of Selling

✅ Nail your problem narrative before you touch the demo

✅ Qualify for pain, not politeness

✅ Disqualify fast — don’t chase “nice to have”

✅ Always ask: “Who else needs to be in this conversation?”

✅ Track objections — they’re your next 10 slides

✅ Price with confidence — avoid “free forever” reflexes

🛠️ In the early days, sales = discovery + storytelling

You’re not scaling yet — you’re validating.

Final Thought

Your product may be functional — but you are the product now.

Your intensity, clarity, and pace are what close your first deals.

Not the features. Not the deck.

The best founders win deals because they understand the customer better than the customer understands themselves.

That’s how you start selling from zero.

You Have a Product. Now What?