5 effective ways to win your first clients

Before you start selling, you first need to earn the trust of potential customers

6-minute read

Published October 14, 2026

You’ve just started a business. You have an excellent product or service, plus all the ambition you need to make it a success. But when you don’t have an established reputation or the resources to invest in promotional or marketing campaigns, potential customers may hesitate to trust you. So, what should you do?

“Before you start looking for your first clients, you need to understand what you’re selling, how you stand out from the competition, who you’re targeting and how your industry works,” says Marie-Pier Tremblay, a business coach at Futurpreneur, an organization that provides financing and mentorship to business owners aged 18 to 39.

She recommends clearly defining your target customers before starting your sales outreach. “Focus all your attention on these people: What are their problems and needs, and how can your offering genuinely help them?” 

Practise your elevator pitch with people you know. Ask for honest, constructive feedback so you can improve your presentation and make it simple, clear and compelling.

Next, determine where your target customers spend their time: What media do they follow, what events do they attend and what networks are they part of? Knowing these details will help you choose the right sales outreach channels.

Lastly, make sure you understand the rules of the game in your industry. Learn about established standards and practices, your competitors and how business is typically conducted in your sector.

This preparation is essential to getting your first clients.

Before you start selling, it’s essential to earn potential customers’ trust in your product or service by showing that you understand what they’re looking for and how your offering can help them.

5 ways to find your first clients

Get a public endorsement

Being recommended by someone who is well known to your target customers is one of the most effective ways to land your first contracts, explains Marie-Pier Tremblay, who has worked with hundreds of startups.

“If you give a presentation at a well-known conference, for example, the event’s established credibility can help strengthen your own,” she adds.

To expand your reach, consider collaborating with people who have influence in your field and a proven following.

For example, if you’re launching a skincare line, a beauty content creator could try one of your creams and post a video for their followers in exchange for compensation or a commission on sales.

That’s how influence works: when someone people trust recommends you, they transfer some of their credibility to your offering.

Ask for personal referrals

Word of mouth remains one of the most effective ways to build a reputation. Referrals are more personal than public endorsements and can remain private, but the principle is the same: someone recommends your services or products to other people.

Identify 10 people in your network who could personally introduce you to potential customers. They could be family members, friends, colleagues or contacts who know your expertise.

These 10 introductions can quickly open the door to new conversations and additional referrals.

Build partnerships with complementary businesses

Identify businesses that offer products or services related to yours and create an ecosystem that addresses your customers’ many needs.

For example, an interior designer could partner with a real estate agency that receives a commission for referring clients, an electric bike company could partner with a repair shop, and an accounting firm could establish a partnership with a firm specializing in tax law.

Give potential customers a concrete sense of the value of your product or service

The goal is to build trust and then give interested people an opportunity to discover what you can provide.

For example:

A fitness centre could offer a free class.
An accountant could offer an introductory consultation.
A service business could offer the first month free or at a reduced rate.

Sometimes, you can start building trust through discounts or samples.

However, what you offer should depend on how your business is positioned. For example, a therapy clinic would not necessarily benefit from offering discounts, as this could reduce the perceived value of its services. Instead, the business could demonstrate its expertise through a podcast or useful tools available on its website.

Build a community around your business

Create a community of people who share the same interests and values as your business.

For example, if you sell wooden toys, your community could bring together parents who care about the environment and prefer not to buy plastic toys for their children.

You can write blog posts, launch a podcast or publish practical guides. You can also use social media and send a newsletter containing useful, relevant information to your community.

Over time, members of this community can become customers and even brand ambassadors.

Simple steps you can take right away

Draft a sales outreach schedule

Regularly set aside time for sales outreach activities. Aim for a few hours a week.

“Building relationships takes time. Sending three emails a week is not enough. You have to be disciplined and structured,” says Tremblay.

Go where your customers are.

Don’t wait for people to come to you. Go meet potential customers where they are, ideally in person.

If you sell window blinds, introduce yourself to home décor and renovation stores. If you sell funeral urns, visit funeral homes.

Depending on your industry, consider attending networking events, conferences, markets or trade shows.

The essential question to ask yourself is: Where are my target customers, and how can I reach them as easily and effectively as possible?

Provide exceptional service

You may not have the credibility of an established company (yet!), but you can build it by providing personalized, exceptional service that even exceeds what you promised.

Eliminate friction points

Present a clear offering and avoid overwhelming people with too many options. “Six packages, multiple payment options and a complicated offering can create decision fatigue and cause potential customers to give up,” warns Tremblay.

Three mistakes to avoid

Putting too much pressure on potential clients

Your customers often need several points of contact before they’re ready to buy. So, maintain the relationship and follow up regularly, but don’t pressure them. Your sales approach should never make you seem desperate or create pressure to close the deal.

“The person in front of you is not responsible for paying your bills. Ask yourself what could genuinely help your potential customer, and focus on giving before you receive,” says Tremblay.

Targeting too broad a customer base

If you’re targeting several customer segments, rank them in order of priority—create a top five—and focus first on your ideal customers so you don’t spread your efforts too thin.

Also, do your research, personalize your business proposals and clearly explain why you’re contacting that particular person. “If you’re reaching out by email, avoid generic, lengthy emails with no clear call to action,” notes Tremblay.

Relying too heavily on social media

“It’s a very passive approach. Social media is one visibility channel among many, but it doesn’t replace direct contact,” says Marie-Pier Tremblay.

She gives the example of an entrepreneur who sells foot orthotics. “There’s little point in doing a lot of promotion on Instagram if most of her customers are referred by doctors,” she explains.

The question, then, is: How can you reach doctors? Are there any health conferences coming up in your area?

How do you turn a conversation into a business opportunity?

Ask questions, listen and remind yourself that you’re there to solve a problem. The most effective salespeople genuinely care about their potential customers’ needs and offer tailored solutions without pressure.

“Don’t focus on your business and your offering. Focus on the person in front of you. Making people feel heard and understood is what builds trust and encourages them to buy,” says Marie-Pier Tremblay.

After all, your product or service is based on an assumption. You need to make sure it actually meets the needs of the person in front of you. If it does, the sales will follow.

Next steps

Download BDC’s free business proposal template to help you present compelling offers to potential customers.