There’s a particular kind of nerves that comes with having something to sell and no one to sell it to yet. I remember it well. You’ve done the work, you’ve got your product or service ready, and now comes the bit nobody quite prepares you for: actually getting people to buy.
Here’s some reassurance before we go any further. You don’t need thousands of followers or a big marketing budget to land your first ten customers. You need a handful of honest, doable actions, repeated consistently. Let’s go through them.
Start With People You Already Know
This one gets overlooked because it feels almost too simple, but your first customers are very often closer than you think. Friends, family, past colleagues, people in your local community, people you already have some kind of relationship with.
Tell people what you’re doing. Not a hard sell, just a genuine “here’s what I’ve started, here’s who it’s for.” You’d be surprised how many people either need what you offer themselves or know someone who does. This is often how the very first few sales happen, and each one gives you real feedback and a bit of confidence to build on.
Give Before You Ask
Before someone buys from you, they usually need a reason to trust you. One of the simplest ways to build that trust quickly is to give something useful away first, a tip, some free advice, a small taste of what it’s like to work with you.
This doesn’t need to be complicated. A helpful post, a quick voice note answering someone’s question, a free resource that solves one small problem. Every time you help someone for free, you’re showing them what it would be like to pay you. That’s what turns a stranger into someone considering becoming a customer.
Make It Easy to Say Yes
I’ve seen so many brilliant offers struggle simply because they were confusing. If someone has to work hard to understand what you sell, what it costs, or how to actually buy it, most people won’t bother, not because they don’t want it, but because friction kills decisions.
Look at your offer with fresh eyes. Is it obvious what you sell? Is the price clear? Is there an easy, simple way to say yes? Simplifying this one thing can make more difference than almost anything else you do at this stage.
Ask Directly
This is the step people avoid the most, and it’s often the one that actually gets you your first sale. Direct, personal outreach. A message to someone who might genuinely benefit from what you offer. A conversation rather than a broadcast. Think of sales as service – your product or service should genuinely help your ideal customer and they need to know that you exist.
It can feel uncomfortable asking for the sale directly, especially at the start. But there’s a big difference between being pushy and being clear about how you can help someone. If you believe in what you’re offering, asking is simply giving someone the chance to say yes.
Let Every Sale Open the Next Door
Once you get that first customer, don’t let the moment end there. Ask for honest feedback. Ask if they’d be willing to share a few words about their experience. Ask if they know anyone else who might benefit.
Your first ten customers aren’t just ten sales, they’re ten relationships that can lead you to the next ten, and the ten after that, especially once word of mouth starts doing some of the work for you.
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone
Getting your first customers is one of the biggest hurdles in business, and it’s also one of the things we focus on most inside the Shine Marketing Membership. Each month you’ll get practical training, real strategies, and a supportive community cheering you on as you build your audience and your confidence together.
Join this month and you’ll also get free access to our Email Marketing Essentials course, worth £179, to help you turn the people you’re reaching into people who actually buy.
Your first ten customers won’t come from waiting for the perfect plan. They’ll come from small, honest actions, taken consistently, starting with the people already around you.