Sell Before You Build

Most founders screw this up. They build something first. Then try to sell it.

📈 The best way is to sell first. Then build.

No, it’s not illegal. It is not fraud. It’s the only way to keep from wasting months in development.

😎 Apple did it. Microsoft did it. BlackBerry did it. I have done it.

To be fair, I did it by accident. Then used the money to build a product with proven demand.

How it works:

1️⃣ You reach out to customers as if the product exists.

Don’t deceive people. Talk about the problem you solve and not the product. If they have the problem, ask questions to amplify the pain, then offer a solution.

2️⃣ Offer a paid waitlist, agreement for future delivery, or manually perform a task.

Depending on the circumstances, either deliver as a service, have a paid agreement for future delivery, or a paid waitlist. People will pay to be on a waitlist if it solves their big problem. Especially, if it promises an exclusive experience.

3️⃣ Limit the offer to a small number of customers.

Scrambling to deliver is hard. So is providing a service. Therefore, limit the offer to enough customers so that the demand is proven, but not so many that it blows up.

Some do this for a single client like Microsoft’s famous deal with IBM. Apple took hundreds of preorders for their first computer. Then scrambled to build it. BlackBerry partnered with Verizon using a semi-functional prototype.

The point is to prove market demand. Soon, you can automate delivery with a product. This is also easier once you know exactly what customers will pay for today.

Todd Moses