The use of this site and the content contained therein is governed by the Terms of Use. When you use this site you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Use and that you accept and will be bound by the terms hereof and such terms as may be modified from time to time.
All text, graphics, audio, design and other works on the site are the copyrighted works of nasscom unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.
Content on the site is for personal use only and may be downloaded provided the material is kept intact and there is no violation of the copyrights, trademarks, and other proprietary rights. Any alteration of the material or use of the material contained in the site for any other purpose is a violation of the copyright of nasscom and / or its affiliates or associates or of its third-party information providers. This material cannot be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way for non-personal use without obtaining the prior permission from nasscom.
The nasscom Members login is for the reference of only registered nasscom Member Companies.
nasscom reserves the right to modify the terms of use of any service without any liability. nasscom reserves the right to take all measures necessary to prevent access to any service or termination of service if the terms of use are not complied with or are contravened or there is any violation of copyright, trademark or other proprietary right.
From time to time nasscom may supplement these terms of use with additional terms pertaining to specific content (additional terms). Such additional terms are hereby incorporated by reference into these Terms of Use.
Disclaimer
The Company information provided on the nasscom web site is as per data collected by companies. nasscom is not liable on the authenticity of such data.
nasscom has exercised due diligence in checking the correctness and authenticity of the information contained in the site, but nasscom or any of its affiliates or associates or employees shall not be in any way responsible for any loss or damage that may arise to any person from any inadvertent error in the information contained in this site. The information from or through this site is provided "as is" and all warranties express or implied of any kind, regarding any matter pertaining to any service or channel, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement are disclaimed. nasscom and its affiliates and associates shall not be liable, at any time, for any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to, alteration of, or use of information contained on the site. No representations, warranties or guarantees whatsoever are made as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, completeness, suitability or applicability of the information to a particular situation.
nasscom or its affiliates or associates or its employees do not provide any judgments or warranty in respect of the authenticity or correctness of the content of other services or sites to which links are provided. A link to another service or site is not an endorsement of any products or services on such site or the site.
The content provided is for information purposes alone and does not substitute for specific advice whether investment, legal, taxation or otherwise. nasscom disclaims all liability for damages caused by use of content on the site.
All responsibility and liability for any damages caused by downloading of any data is disclaimed.
nasscom reserves the right to modify, suspend / cancel, or discontinue any or all sections, or service at any time without notice.
For any grievances under the Information Technology Act 2000, please get in touch with Grievance Officer, Mr. Anirban Mandal at data-query@nasscom.in.
A brilliant idea struck you one fine day, which inspired you to build your new startup business. And now, it’s finally time to start welcoming customers to your business.
A successful startup needs a product that is built with its target customers in mind. Understand the current problems they are facing, their expected solution, and how far your product meets their expectations.
Only then the product would be a perfect match to meet the needs of more potential customers.
Given that your product fulfils this essential requirement, here are a few more tips from my side to keep in mind to acquire customers for your startup.
Your Target Customer is THE BOSS
Your startup business journey won’t reach heights if there are no customers interested in buying your product. And that’s why knowing what your customer wants and strategically feeding their needs with your product is crucial for a successful startup.
For this, optimally listing down your customer’s identity and need is the main task. The best way to do this is by creating a customer persona.
Perform in-depth research and analysis of your potential customers and jot down details such as their:
Overall profile
Personality
Interest and behaviour
Factors that motivate, frustrate and influence them
Media and brands that interest them etc.
Your customer persona will help you draw a better picture of your customer. Through it, you will gain enough information and insight to deliver products and services that are more relevant to them. You will also be able to speak your customer’s language and create persona-specific content.
Eventually, the buying and selling process of your product becomes less of a one-dimensional experience. It will motivate customers to choose your product over your competitors.
Your Customer’s Hangout Spot is your Playing Field
To acquire customers for your startup, you need to figure out the right place to sell your product to maximum customers in minimal time. Technology and the wide range of connectivity it brings across our lives come to our advantage here again.
So, discover where your customers are hanging out online.
Platforms with like-minded existing users will help you to connect with them quickly and grow your business.
For instance, where do you think online learning communities should advertise and sell their educational course videos on web development and UI/UX designs?
Well, one of the most ideal places to display such courses is an online developer’s communities. Such developers communities will have several developers with varying levels of experience wanting to learn more about the course.
Thus, we can see that the right product (online web development courses) reaches the right set of audience/customers (developers) on a massive scale when served on an ideal platform (online developer’s community).
That said, we have set up our own open-source developer community named Nullcast to inspire developers, students and geeks worldwide to learn, share, and grow together.
Complete Product Knowledge must NOT be Limited to You
As a startup founder, nobody would know your product inside out better than you. But, running a startup is not a one-man show.
You can’t take care of all the various requirements for developing your startup. So, what do you do in such a case?
You have to hire proficient team members to delegate the tasks and meet the requirements of your business. Your early team members are the foundation of your startup. Hence, there are several things to consider when bringing on early team members.
Your team should essentially be driven by the same vision, mission and values which drives you. Only then, your team and you will be on the same track.
Potential customers may approach you from any side. Your team must be prepared to cater to their needs efficiently and effectively. That’s why it is not only enough for you to know your product. Your team must also be well equipped with the same knowledge.
So, often communicate with your team and ensure their work resonates with the same kind of passion you instilled in them.
Your Competitor’s Customer is your Future Customer
It is highly likely that your startup product is already available in the market or has similarities with existing ones unless it is a unique, one of a kind product. This means you will have to smartly deal with the competition.
Your competitors are also a source of learning opportunity for you. They entered the market before you and would have figured out what works and doesn’t work for them with time.
Therefore, conduct detailed research on how and where they found their target customers and keep an eye out for what they did and what they are doing at present.
I will not encourage you to copy their tactics, as it will ruin your business’s individuality. Use the information you receive only for the purpose of learning and derive inspiration from it.
Also, talk to your competitor’s customers who are currently using their product. They are the prime people to gain insights from to find ways to improve your product.
By this, you will be able to position your product and business ahead of your competitors and land better quality customers.
Take Full Advantage of Online Communities
Online communities are where members with similar purposes and interests interact with each other.
When you start thinking about how to get the first few customers for a startup, the smart way to do this is by approaching where the herd is.
Start by listing out online communities that are more relevant to your business and the product you built. These communities can be anything from LinkedIn and Quora to Reddit, AngelList etc.
Then, listen to what your potential customers are discussing regarding similar products to yours that they are interested in, issues concerning existing products in the marketplace, etc.
This is where you can jump in with your product as a possible solution to their concerns. The idea is quite similar to what I had discussed earlier in this blog on leveraging customer hangout spots.
Additionally, such online communities will also help you connect and build mutually beneficial relationships with personnel who might later convert to potential customers.
Even if they don’t become your customers, you can still benefit from each other by brainstorming on market trends and staying updated together. Relationship building will bring you endless opportunities.
Also, make it a point to socialise and engage with people who bring relevance to your business.
You can either do this by attending or hosting numerous trade shows, webinars, startup meetups. Or, by maintaining strong communication with your networks through communication channels such as Discord, LinkedIn etc. Even better, do both!
The more active you become in these platforms, the more you will establish your brand’s name and presence amongst the crowd.
Making your brand’s identity and product visible is crucial for developing a sense of reliability. Customers will feel more comfortable approaching your business if you establish an open presence.
Not only will this set you apart from your competitors, but it will also work as a medium of trust that customers can look up to avoid scams from other fraudulent businesses.
Referrals Act Like Bridges
Here comes the part where you will have to start talking about your product to literally everybody you know.
Initially, talk to your friends, family, mentors, colleagues and associates, as they are comparatively easy to access. Anyone and everybody could turn out helpful here as you would never know who will lead you to your next BIG customer.
Later, expand your network by reaching out to previous customers and investors. These people have a high chance of maintaining fantastic networks with people related to or interested in the same field. Cooperation from their side will indefinitely help you spread the word out about your business like fire and acquire customers for your startup.
However, how would providing you with referrals benefit your referee? A great way to make it a win-win situation for both parties is by offering incentives to them. Give them something to look forward to in return for introducing you to the referrals.
These incentives could be anything. Maybe try picking a uniform reward for all your referee’s or get creative to develop personalised offers for each referee depending on their needs.
Either way, all you need to make sure is to maintain motivation amongst your referees to help you.
Take the Leap to Cold Calls and Emails
Cold calls are often “out of the comfort zone” tasks for most people. If you feel the same, don’t worry; we have all been there.
It is vital to step out of your comfort and pick up your phone to make these calls as it is a proven formula to get the first few customers for a startup.
Also, support these cold calls with well-drafted emails too. But remember, in this world where most of the connections we make are behind a device screen, calls add a more personalised touch to the conversation.
However, for both cold calls and emails, stay prepared with information on who your customer is, what does he/she do, who you are, and how your product would benefit them. Excellent research and preparedness will aid you in directing a meaningful conversation and build great rapport.
Your main motive must not be to shove your product down your customer’s throat right away. An essential tip to keep in mind is your product’s sale may not happen with the first call. The win is to end the call, knowing there will be more calls between you in the future.
You can do this by conveying the value you can deliver to your customer by guaranteeing that meeting their needs is your first priority. Wait and watch the wonders it will bring forth.
Knowledge Need Not be Sold Always
In the sea of competition you face in the market to acquire customers for your startup, how will you establish yourself as one who clearly knows what you are up to?
A slow yet long-term rewarding technique to do this is by giving free knowledge about your business and field to the public.
The knowledge you intend to give out can take the form of blogs, Youtube videos, Instagram reels, podcasts, LinkedIn posts etc. It is all about Content Marketing!
Create curated content for your audience, grab their attention and give them everything they want to know along with what you want them to know.
This will enable you to establish yourself as a leader in your field and simultaneously bring organic traffic to your business.
If done correctly using the right set of high-volume keywords and SEO optimisations, you will acquire customers for your startup easily.
Eventually, your business’s credibility will increase. Customers will trust your brand more and look forward to products under your brand name.
Everyone Loves Free Trials
Who wouldn’t like to test a product or service before making a complete purchase? All of us, right!
The scepticism before investing a large sum of money into a product or service without experiencing its usage, is natural.
So give your customers the benefit of the doubt and provide them with facilities to enjoy your product’s free trials for a limited period.
However, free trials don’t always make sense to acquire customers for your startup. The applicability of it mostly depends on the nature of your business.
For instance, you have a fantastic product. Yet, it still takes more time than the trial period to actually showcase results to your trial user. In such a case, the trial period will negatively affect your business by not converting the trial user into your customer.
So, make sure that you figure out what works best for your business. You can also go for alternatives such as money-back guarantees, videos showcasing your product’s essential features, no-obligation contracts to cancel the subscription anytime etc.
Decide what works best for your business to ensure customer satisfaction.
That the contents of third-party articles/blogs published here on the website, and the interpretation of all information in the article/blogs such as data, maps, numbers, opinions etc. displayed in the article/blogs and views or the opinions expressed within the content are solely of the author's; and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of NASSCOM or its affiliates in any manner. NASSCOM does not take any liability w.r.t. content in any manner and will not be liable in any manner whatsoever for any kind of liability arising out of any act, error or omission. The contents of third-party article/blogs published, are provided solely as convenience; and the presence of these articles/blogs should not, under any circumstances, be considered as an endorsement of the contents by NASSCOM in any manner; and if you chose to access these articles/blogs , you do so at your own risk.
Grow ideas into million-dollar businesses. We have a proud history of helping founders achieve multi-million dollar valuation and providing turnkey enterprise-grade solutions for their customers. Our blazing-fast products help revolutionize industries and are adopted by some of the world’s biggest companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, IKEA and Ubisoft. Our ability to provide the perfect blend of enterprise-level expertise and startup-style product development gives us that extra edge. Our strategic locations around the globe help us get a superior understanding of our client's culture and business to deliver products that best resonate with their target audiences. Neoito's Purpose: We exist to help people transform their ideas into turnkey technology that creates a positive impact on people's lives. Neoito's Vision: To be the go-to technology partner for entrepreneurs, where they can unleash the potential of their ideas and positively shape the future we live in.
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the Indian generative AI industry is experiencing a seismic shift, driven by a remarkable surge of startups that are leveraging the power of generative AI to transform industries and unlock new…
The Indian Generative AI landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with a rising number of startups venturing into this domain to harness its immense potential and capitalize on the abundant growth opportunities it offers. India's…
In an era fuelled by technological advancements, the field of Generative AI has emerged as a promising frontier. The technology holds immense potential, with countries around the world striving to harness its potential to drive innovation, economic…
Product architecture is an intricately complex and indispensable component of the product development process. It pertains to the conceptualization and structuring of a product, encompassing its components, their inter-relationships, and…
The Indian generative AI (Gen AI) landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by a diverse ecosystem of infrastructure providers, gen AI application providers, technology service companies, and generative AI buyers which are playing…
India's generative AI landscape growth is witnessing an unprecedented surge, fuelled by a significant influx of private investments into generative AI startups which are growing rapidly in number. The year 2022 marked a turning point for this…
