First 10 Customers Playbook
Where should you look for your first customers?
You have an offer and several ways to reach a buyer. Which one can you actually test first? The First 10 Customers Playbook asks seven questions and ranks three channels to consider. Choose one, make a relevant ask, and learn from the response.
See your three-channel shortlist and brief guidance before the email step. In the tool, an email unlocks a weekly cadence, basic collateral, and starter messages.
Choose a route you can actually use
Start with access. Can you name potential buyers you could contact, or people who could introduce you? Then consider the sale: does a buyer need a conversation to understand the offer, or can a useful explanation do some of that work? Look at assets you already have, such as a network, a website, or material you can publish. Choose a route you can try again next week, then watch what buyers actually say.
The playbook compares five routes. You do not need to run all five at once.
Founder outbound. Contact a specific potential buyer with a reason the conversation might matter to them. This route is direct, but you must identify people and make the ask yourself.
Warm network asks. Ask someone who knows the market for a relevant introduction or a candid view of the problem. Give them enough context to judge whom to connect, instead of asking for “anyone who might be interested.”
Community seeding. Join a place where your intended buyers already discuss the problem. Listen first, then contribute a useful answer or question. Treat the conversation as a way to learn what people care about, rather than a place to paste a pitch.
Point-of-view content. Publish a clear take on a problem your buyer recognizes. A short example or explanation can give someone a reason to respond, even if you do not have a large audience.
Partner introductions. Look for a person or business that already serves the same buyer in a complementary way. Start by explaining why an introduction could help that buyer, instead of asking a stranger to distribute your offer.
What the playbook gives you
1. Answer seven questions. Describe your offer, buyer, price range, preferred selling style, assets, weekly time available, and current obstacle. The ranking uses some of these selections to compare the five routes.
2. See three starting channels. The tool ranks three options and gives brief guidance before asking for an email. Use that shortlist to pick a first test, not as a prediction of which route will produce a sale.
3. Open the working material if you want it. Enter an email in the tool to see a reusable weekly cadence, a short list of basic collateral, and starter message templates. Adapt them to your buyer and offer.
What might a first choice look like?
Illustrative example of the playbook's rules; not a customer story or achieved result. Suppose you have an offer priced at $1,000 or more per month for executives. You prefer direct outbound, have a network in the market, can spend 5–10 hours a week, and your main obstacle is getting attention. For those answers, the playbook ranks founder outbound first, warm network asks second, and partner introductions third.
You could start with the first route: identify a relevant executive, write down the problem you believe they face, and make a specific request for a conversation. A warm introduction is another route if your network offers a practical way in. What people say back will teach you more about your offer and approach than the ranking can.
Turn a channel into a small test
Before you write a message or post, make a private note with three lines: one buyer group you can reach; one reason they might want to talk; one question a reply should answer. If you cannot fill in the first line, identify potential buyers before choosing an outreach tactic.
Choose one channel and make one relevant ask or publish one useful piece for that group. Record the replies, questions, silence, and objections without treating any one response as a verdict. Revise the buyer, the reason to talk, or the wording for the next attempt. Real conversations and observed responses are how you find out whether the route and offer resonate.
Frequently asked questions
Will the playbook find leads or get me ten customers?
No. It helps you choose channels to test and gives you material to start. You still identify potential buyers, make contact, and decide what their responses mean.
Do I need to enter an email?
You can see the three ranked channels and brief guidance after the questions without entering one. An email in the tool unlocks the weekly cadence, basic collateral, and starter messages.
Is the plan written just for my business?
The channel ranking reflects some of your selections. The weekly rhythm and templates are reusable starting points, so adjust them to your buyer, offer, and what you learn.
Choose your first move
Pick a route, make a clear ask, and let the response shape what you try next.