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VP, Business Development

Politicker
Valued Contributor
Executive
+5

Early Stage Start-Ups

I work for an early stage start up. Limited client base but have a fantastic product with great market fit.

Any advice for overcoming the inevitable questions about how young the company is, how many clients we have, etc. in order to gain credibility?



๐ŸŒ Fintech
๐Ÿ“ณ SaaS
โ˜๏ธ Software Tech
11

10 comments

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braintank
Politicker
5
Enterprise Account Executive
I mean you can't lie...

Focus on telling the stories of the clients you have and finding other companies who are willing to act as early adopters.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
๐ŸฆŠ
Perfect. Reframe and end on a positive note.
CPTAmerica
Opinionated
3
President/CRO
Own it. Don't come out of the gate talking about how new you are but when the questions pop up tell the truth with confidence.

You will find customers that take the "chance" on you. Foster those relationships like they're gold. Get testimonials from them ASAP. Ask if they are willing to be a reference for you and start introducing serious prospects to them if they give push back late in the sales process because you're too new.

It only takes a few marquee customers and most of that noise will fade.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
2
โ˜•๏ธ
Well, if you work at a startup, you cannot get away from those questions. How much better is your product/service than the rest of the market? Can you demonstrate the value? Can you make them feel confident with the tech and current customer feedback/testimonials?

You need to be on a different skill level to get those points across.
Pachacuti
Politicker
2
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Be straight forward. Don't lie - embrace it. You're the new thing.

If the client is too risk averse, better to know it now rather than after investing hours and hours of your time.

So ask the question early about how risk averse they are - "I don't know if this is for you/your company, but..."
saaskicker
Celebrated Contributor
2
Enterprise AE
Explain why your founders built the product, what problem it is solving and zip it.
Armageddon
Opinionated
2
Enterprise Account Executive
Tell the story that your team is young and nimble, with a focus on solving customer problems. you listen to your customers and collaborate with them to influence product direction based on their needs. That is the type of partnership a large Ent can never offer
punishedlad
Tycoon
1
Business Development Team Lead
It's all about narrative control. Lean on the clients you do have (success stories and the like). When you're this early stage, it's helpful to give a prospect the scope of why your company/solution exists in the first place.
Justatitle
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
Usually, this question comes from people not wanting to be the guinea pig. If you have clients that love you guys and are willing to be referenced, it may very well be worth it to speak with them and say to prospects you have referencable organizations that should help ease concerns they may have. Also asking the prospect why they are looking for this information is crucial.
Maximas
Tycoon
1
Senior Sales Executive
Truth is the only way to gain credibility, as they will definitely look things up after done with the call with you and/or refer them to your company's portal to know more as a trusted source of info about it!

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