Ask HN: How did you acquire your first 100 users? b2b - ashrestha8
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ajeet_dhaliwal
Tesults ([https://www.tesults.com](https://www.tesults.com)) is the best way
to report build and automated test results to your team consolidated in one
place for all of your project's supported platforms, build flavors and
branches. A web-based reporting platform ideal for plugging into any build,
test or continuous integration system within 15 minutes.

That's a plug, it's uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing if you're not a
super extrovert but I've found doing that enough across the web, over email,
over twitter, to people I meet in person etc., in Google AdWords, getting a
couple of bloggers to write about the existence of the app, helped acquire the
first 100 sign ups. Now if you're asking about first recurring 100 users, or
specifically 100 first paying recurring users, rather than 100 sign ups that's
very different and much much harder. So what are you asking about
specifically? For 100 recurring users I think don't bother acquiring 100,
acquire just a handful and see if they stay and ask them why they didn't,
chances are the products not as good as you thought and you need more features
or ui refinement. Iterate and iterate. I was told that Tesults is absurd for
how little it does once about a year ago, indeed it did suck back then, now it
does a whole lot more. Some would say it still sucks, and compared to where it
will be in one year it does indeed. Iteration and iteration and not giving up
is needed for the 100 first recurring users but for the first 100 sign ups,
shouldn't be too hard by just pitching like crazy and not being embarrassed.
And developing a thick skin.

Edit to add: Traction (book) by Gabriel Weinberg helped me. There's also a non
tech/dev guy called Grant Cardone who has written a book called The 10X Rule,
that's helped me too.

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matchmike1313
For us, we did the following (in-order) and just recently hit 100.

1\. Meet face-to-face with prospects in our area, either by cold-calling,
cold-emailing, or walking-in

2\. After #1, we asked for referrals for to other prospects

3\. Next we started with cold-emailing across prospects in the US

4\. Conferences

5\. Local Meet-ups

6\. Mailers / post cards

7\. Facebook Ads

So far Facebook ads has been our top performing channel. Our SaaS targets
commercial pools with lifeguards.

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graystevens
Very interesting that Facebook ads are working for you - I have avoided them
so far due to their cost but maybe I shall reconsider. So far I’ve been cold
emailing my target market, but being new to all of this I am still tweaking my
efforts - nailing down my initial email and the correct targets within a
business (VP? Engineers? etc.)

Seems I may need to reconsider Facebook Ads...

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hpagey
How are you building a List of potential leads ?

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nicksalt
1\. Drop a retargeting pixel from adwords, fb, linkedin.

2\. Get the addresses of your prospective clients.

3\. Create FB ads campaign targeting your prospective clients within 1 mile
radius coupled with people who work at the company.

4\. Do the same on linkedin ads.

5.build retargeting audiences and continue to provide VALUE via white papers
or solid content in exchange for contact info.

\-----------------------------

If no funds are available for the above

Ground and pound face to face hand holding cross the finish lines works
wonders (no secret sauce here) \------------

the combination of the above! now thats the secret sauce.

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cylinder
There's selling tools developers / IT abd then there's selling to regular
people in different functions.

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antaviana
1\. Free publicly open beta.

2\. Announced availability to a known blogger in the market niche who liked it
and wrote something up about it.

