Sales and first customers: how to get clients for a new business
You get your first clients by putting one clear offer in front of the people your checked idea is for, then talking to every lead yourself until they buy or say no. Start with people you already know and direct outreach, and add a funnel once the first conversations show what works.
A branch of the project map: Sales · Negotiation, Channels
Where to start with your first clients
Package the offer and a page to send people to
Go to market prepares what you send people to: your offer, a landing page and a first campaign, for $99 once. It needs your finished concept first.
Find the first customers through contacts and referrals
Begin with your current contacts, referrals and networking, and use freelance platforms if you sell a service. The guides in this group cover each route and what to say when you have no track record yet.
Write outreach that gets replies
Once warm contacts run out, send cold emails and answer requests with a written proposal. The funnel guides show how a stranger becomes a lead and then a client.
Follow up and collect proof
Use the follow-up and testimonial request templates so every lead gets a second message and every happy client leaves a quote you can show the next prospect.
Keep the clients you won
A repeat buyer costs you less effort than a new one. The retention guide covers how to bring existing clients back.
Ask FoxGuides by topic
A guide with a link is written and checked by the editor; one marked «soon» is being written.
First customers
Where to find the first buyers and what hooks them.
- Lead magnet ideasFind lead magnet ideas you can create quickly to collect contacts from people likely to buy from you.soon
- How to Get Your First Clients With No Track RecordLearn practical ways to land your very first paying clients when you have no portfolio, reviews, or referrals yet.soon
- How to Get Clients as a FreelancerFind a niche, show your work, and win steady freelance contracts that keep coming.soon
- Upwork vs. Fiverr: Finding Clients on Freelance PlatformsCompare freelance marketplaces and learn how you can stand out on them without racing to the bottom on price.soon
- How to Follow Up With Leads Without Being AnnoyingWhen and how you should follow up with prospects, including lost leads, so more of them turn into clients.soon
- How to Get Client Referrals and Set Up a Referral ProgramAsk happy clients for referrals and reward them so new business keeps arriving on its own.soon
- How to Get Client Testimonials That Help You SellCollect strong testimonials and reviews, then place them where they win you new clients.soon
- How to Network to Find ClientsUse industry events, communities, and your existing contacts to start conversations that lead to clients.soon
- Social Selling: How to Get Clients From Social MediaTurn posts, Facebook groups, and direct messages into real client conversations instead of just likes.soon
- Lead Generation for Small BusinessesCapture leads from your website and campaigns and keep a steady flow of potential clients.soon
- How to Prospect for New ClientsFind, qualify, and reach out to the right prospects before you spend time pitching.soon
- Using Promotions and Limited-Time Offers to Win ClientsRun discounts and limited-time offers that bring in new clients without hurting your margins.soon
Funnel and scripts
The customer's path from a request to a payment, and the words for each step.
- Marketing funnel for a small businessMap the steps from first contact to purchase so you know where you lose potential clients.
- How to Cold Email Potential Clients and Get RepliesBuild a prospect list, write a cold email people answer, and follow up without being pushy.soon
- How to Write a Proposal That Wins ClientsStructure a client proposal, price your work clearly, and close more of the deals you pitch.soon
Selling more
How to sell more to the people who already came.
The topic's terms and templates
One library for the whole site: the terms live in the Glossary, the files in Templates.
Templates
What does the step for you
The Lab's tools and Go to market on the section's topic.
Go to market: product packaging, landing page, ads
- Product packaging — the positioning, the USP, the offer and the price.
- Landing page — a published landing page with a lead form.
- Ads — a test campaign: ads, audiences, budget.
The concept comes first. Go to market is built on the concept of a checked idea: first the check and the concept, then Go to market.
No step of its own: it gives you the offer, a page with a lead form and a first ad campaign — with them you go to your first customers
What stays yours: the conversations with customers and the selling itself
With the Pro plan ($50 a month), the «Sales» direction on the project map: FOX reads your chats and calls and suggests the next step.
Questions
How do I get my first client with no track record?
Start with people who already trust you: former colleagues, friends in your target market and past employers. Offer a small first project with a clear scope, then ask for a testimonial with the testimonial request template in the templates section.
Is cold email still worth trying for a small business?
It works when the list is narrow and each message names a problem the reader has. Keep it short, end with one simple question, and start from the cold email template linked in the templates section.
How do I follow up with a lead without being annoying?
Space your messages out and add something new each time, such as a case, an answer to an objection or a date. The follow-up email template gives you a structure, and the funnel guides explain when to stop.
Should I look for clients on Upwork or Fiverr?
Choose Upwork if you sell custom projects and like writing proposals; choose Fiverr if you can sell a fixed package at a set price. The First customers group has a guide comparing both.
Will Go to market bring me customers?
No. Go to market makes the offer, a page with a lead form and a first ad campaign, and the conversations with customers and the selling itself stay your job. With Pro at $50 a month, Fox reads your chats and calls in the Sales direction of the project map and suggests the next step.
How we made this page. The list of guides is our map of this sub-hub's topics: a guide with a link is built and checked by an editor, and the others are planned, with the status shown on each card. The templates come from the site's one library, and this page lists the ones its topics need. The block on what Go to market makes states its stage and price from our price list and what stays your job. Prepared on 15 October 2026.
Kirill Smolin, editor
It all starts with a check
Check an idea for free, get a concept and go to market — and the project gets its map.