No ads, no fancy tools. Just conversations, LinkedIn, and a narrow focus on one type of buyer. If you want to find first 10 B2B customers, stop running ads and start having conversations.
A founder I advised launched his product and immediately started running ads. Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, retargeting campaigns. He spent $8K in the first two months.
He got traffic. He got clicks. He got zero customers.
The problem wasn’t the ad platform. The problem was that he didn’t know who he was targeting. His ads went to “B2B companies” in general. His landing page spoke to everyone, which meant it spoke to no one. He was spending money to reach people he hadn’t talked to yet.
When I told him to stop the ads and start having conversations instead, he pushed back. “That doesn’t scale.” I told him he didn’t need scale. He needed 10 customers.
Here is the bottom line.
Your first 10 B2B customers don’t come from ads, funnels, or growth hacks. They come from conversations. Narrow your focus to one type of buyer, reach out on LinkedIn, talk to them about their problem, and let those conversations lead to your first deals.
To find first 10 B2B customers, narrow before you search
The biggest mistake founders make when looking for early customers is going broad. They target “SaaS companies” or “marketing teams” or “small businesses.” That’s not a target. That’s a category.
Your first 10 customers need to come from one narrow segment. One industry, one company size, one role, one problem.
A founder I worked with sold a workflow automation tool. He could have targeted any company with repetitive processes. Instead, I told him to pick one. He chose recruiting agencies with 10 to 30 employees. That’s it. One type of company, one size, one problem (manual candidate tracking).
This narrow targeting works because when you target one segment, your outreach message becomes specific. Your pitch becomes relevant. Your conversations become productive. You’re not explaining what your product could do for many types of companies. You’re explaining what it does for their exact situation.
If you’re struggling with this step, I wrote a separate guide on how to define your ICP when you have zero customers.
Use LinkedIn as your prospecting tool
You don’t need a sales tool. You don’t need a database. You need LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the fastest way to find your first 10 B2B customers without spending a dollar on ads.
Search for the exact role at the exact type of company you’re targeting. If your buyer is a VP of Operations at logistics companies with 20 to 50 employees, search for that.
Send a connection request with a short note. Not a pitch. A note that shows you understand their world.
“I work with logistics ops teams that are still tracking shipments manually. If that sounds familiar, I’d love to hear how you’re handling it.”
That’s it. No product mention. No feature list. No calendar link. You’re starting a conversation, not closing a deal.
Most founders write outreach messages that sound like ads. “Our AI-powered platform helps companies increase efficiency by 40%.” Delete that. Nobody responds to that.
Write like you’re talking to one person about one problem. Because you are.
Have conversations, not pitches
When someone responds, don’t pitch. Ask questions.
“What’s the biggest pain point in your current process?” “How are you handling it today?” “What have you tried that didn’t work?“
Let them talk for 80% of the conversation. Your job is to understand their world, not explain your product.
Write down their exact words. Not your summary. Their actual phrases. “I spend 4 hours every Friday reconciling spreadsheets.” “We lose candidates because our follow-up is too slow.” “My team hates the current tool but we can’t justify switching.”
These words become your messaging. They become your landing page copy. They become the phrases that make your next prospect lean in, because they’re hearing their own problem described back to them.
After you’ve listened, connect your product to the specific problem they described. “You mentioned you lose candidates because follow-up is too slow. Here’s how we fix that.” Now you’re solving, not selling.
Convert conversations into customers
Not every conversation becomes a customer. That’s fine. Out of 20 conversations, you might close 3 to 5 deals. That’s a normal early-stage conversion rate.
Here’s how to move from conversation to deal.
- End every call with a specific next step. Not “let’s stay in touch.” Something concrete. “Can I show you a 15-minute demo on Thursday?” “Can I send you a proposal by Friday?” Specificity creates momentum.
- Follow up within 24 hours. Send a short message referencing what they told you. “You mentioned the spreadsheet problem. Here’s a quick walkthrough of how we solve that.” Attach a short video or a one-page doc. Keep it simple.
- Offer a low-risk starting point. A pilot, a free trial, a limited engagement. Your first 10 customers need a reason to say yes that doesn’t feel risky. “Try it for 2 weeks with one team. If it doesn’t save you time, walk away.”
- Don’t discount. Add value. Founders drop their price to close early deals. That sets a bad precedent. Instead, offer extra onboarding support, a dedicated Slack channel, or priority feature requests. Give them more without charging less.
Why the first 10 matter more than the next 100
Your first 10 customers are not about revenue. They’re about learning.
After 10 customers, you’ll know who actually buys your product (not who you thought would buy it). You’ll know which words make buyers pay attention. You’ll know the 3 objections that come up every time and how to handle them.
One founder I advised closed his first 10 customers and realized 7 of them were in the same industry. He hadn’t planned to focus there. But the data was clear. He narrowed his targeting, rewrote his messaging for that segment, and his close rate doubled.
That pattern only becomes visible after 10 conversations. Not 3. Not 5. Ten.
Once you have 10, you have a playbook. You know who to target, what to say, how to handle objections, and what makes people buy. That playbook becomes the foundation for everything that comes next, whether that’s hiring a salesperson, running ads, or building a real marketing engine.
For more on the full founder-led sales journey, read The Founder’s Guide to Selling Your B2B Product Before You Hire Anyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get 10 B2B customers?
It depends on your sales cycle and how many conversations you’re having weekly. If you’re doing 5 to 10 outreach conversations per week, most founders close their first 10 within 2 to 4 months. The speed depends on how narrow your targeting is. Broader targeting means longer timelines.
What if nobody responds to my LinkedIn outreach?
Your message is probably too generic or too product-focused. Rewrite it around the buyer’s problem, not your solution. Test different opening lines. If you’re getting under 10% response rate, the problem is the message, not the platform.
Should I offer my product for free to get early customers?
No. Charge from the beginning. Even a small amount creates commitment. Free users don’t give real feedback because they have nothing at stake. Paying customers tell you what’s actually working and what isn’t.
What if I don’t know which segment to target first?
Pick one and test it. You’re not making a permanent decision. Talk to 20 people in that segment. If conversations feel forced and nobody has the problem you’re solving, switch to a different segment. The goal is speed, not perfection.
Your first 10 customers come from conversations, not campaigns. Start narrow, listen more than you pitch, and let your buyers teach you how to sell your product. Every founder I’ve worked with who managed to find their first 10 B2B customers did it the same way.
If you’re ready to turn those first deals into a repeatable process, read How to Build a Sales Process When You’ve Never Sold Before.
