Founders, do more pilots!

Or: How to avoid the classic founder’s mistake

A mistake I see over and over again:

Founders and freelancers who over-invest into an idea before they take it to market.

Then, find out it was not a fit.

The hard way: no one buys. And the time invested is lost. (Plus some energy and confidence.)

And yes... it has happened to me. More than once... So I feel the pain.

I got all excited and put all my hopes in a new idea, spent weeks of my time and the time of my team on it, and realized too late that we forgot a tiny little detail:

If no one buys it, all the work was in vain. As hard as it sounds.

And my lesson learned is: better do sales first, even before the product is finished.

Too often we put our heart and soul (and time and money) into a new product and delay sales to the very end - when everything is shiny and perfect, including high-gloss info material.

That's usually a mistake.

But how do you sell a product, service or solution that's not even finished? One way is to make pilot partnerships.

Find the Indiana Jones' and Lara Crofts

If you are in the piloting phase of a new product, that’s the moment to contact the adventurers among your customers. The Indiana Jones’s and Lara Crofts. People who ideally know and trust you and who are thought-leaders or simply excited to try something new.

Those who won’t nitpick when something is not perfect the first time, who are willing to cut you some slack - because they see the potential. Generally, positive-vibe kind of people.

Offer them to join your product journey as a pilot partner.

This has some genuine benefits for them:

• They get their hands on a new solution, product or service before everyone else does.
• They can influence how you implement it so it will serve their needs.
• It’s simply fun to be part of something new.
• On top of that, you may want to offer them a pilot partner discount or some special deliverables that later customers won't get.

Making sales easier

Offering a pilot has even made sales easier on several occasions:

For once, the word "new" can trigger some genuine excitement.

And secondly, and this is just fair to say, you may not invite everyone you know to such a pilot. But only your best, hand-picked and most trusted contacts. Never underestimate exclusivity as a way to make customers feel special (and indeed they are).

What you get out of it

What you get out of a pilot is also quite clear:

• A market validation for a new product before you invest the effort to actually implement it.
• Social proof for your sales and marketing (“X, Y and Z are already on board”).
• Customers that become co-owners and give you valuable input that helps you develop the product in the right direction.
• And last but not least, early liquidity to invest into the product itself.

Manage the risk

So what if customers are hesitant to spend money on something that does not even exist yet?

There is a way to turn this into an advantage. Your promise is: you will make 100% they will be happy, even if it means you have to give it 110%. You will go the extra mile and spend additional time on it if needed.

Meaning, you take the for any potential hick-ups on you and don't put it on them.

Your goal is not to be as efficient as possible, but to carve a new path through the jungle. So you may actually over-invets and over-deliver for a pilot. But this is not a loss. Once you have successfully delivered a product once, you can make it more efficient and optimize it for scaling afterwards.

Pitched the right way, there should be little risk and high reward for pilot partners.

A few more tips for pilot sales:

• Usually a partnership agreement in writing is helpful, but no need for expensive designer brochures.
• Sell on the outcome, not on the way to get there. Don't corner yourself with too many detailed promises - because you may need to change plans on the way.
• Tell customers what is expected from them during the process. If they can lean back and let you do all the work - tell them that.

We learn less from mistakes than we think

These days, learning from mistakes is not only costly but also sometimes useless.

We live in a complex world. The same idea may work or not work, depending on the timing, the circumstances and sometimes pure luck.

So at any given point, if there is a hundred ways to do something wrong, and one way to do it right, finding one of the ways to do it wrong gives you little insights.

Better iterate in small steps until you find something that works, and then build on that small win. One win will lead to more.

A pilot is a way to validate an idea before you invest too much time into it.

Did you know you can sell?your?way?

Based on my own story, I'm encouraging indies, freelancers and introverts to sell - and to find their own method of selling. (Not copy someone else's.)

This is one 24 tips I'm currently publishing on LinkedIn. If you like, you can?sign up to my newsletter?to get all 24 tips in one email when they are out.

All tips are taken from my book?Sales Without Shame. It's short (but funny).

And by the way, I'd love to hear from you! No strings attached. We all should meet more people, break the ice, exchange our stories. Send me a PM and let me know: what's your sales challenge?