An idea becomes easier to evaluate when you can talk to the people who would use it. If you are exploring agency reporting, your first contact might be the person preparing reports rather than the owner approving the bill. Start with that workflow, then learn who else takes part in the decision.
By the end of this guide
A place to find prospective buyers and a specific question to ask them.
01 / Find the conversation
Where do they go for help?
Look for the person who owns the task your product would improve. Their professional community, support forum or existing network may be more useful than a general startup audience.
In his Browserless interview, Joel Griffith describes finding his first paying user in a Puppeteer issue about running a browser on a VPS. That was a particular developer need in a particular setting. Look for the equivalent in your market.
- An existing connection
- Ask for an introduction to someone who does the work.
- A relevant community
- Read the rules, learn from existing questions and contribute useful help.
- Direct outreach
- Contact a small number of relevant people with a question about their actual workflow.
02 / Start a conversation
Ask about the last time it happened.
When you find someone relevant, explain why you are contacting them. For example: "I am learning how agencies put together client reports. How did you prepare your last one?" That gives them a question they can answer from experience without asking them to assess your product idea.
Ask what they did, which tools they tried and what happened. If the problem fits your idea, ask whether they would show you the workflow or try a small test. Respect a refusal and the rules of the channel.
03 / Choose a channel
Separate first conversations from repeatable acquisition.
These early conversations help you understand the work and find people for a first test. They do not have to be your permanent way of acquiring customers. An introduction from an agency owner can be enough to begin; later, you can investigate how to reach more people doing the same task.
Content, an audience, search, partnerships and paid acquisition each require different work. Choose based on where your buyers look and what you can sustain. Record which conversations lead to a test or purchase.
Tools for the task
Where to do this work
The Browserless account shows one founder finding a relevant conversation. For your own market, Hunting Apps can help locate public discussions and existing products; you will still need to reach out and listen.
Your next action
Start one relevant conversation.
Choose a person who does the work and ask about a recent instance. For agency reporting, ask how they prepared the last client report and whether they would show you the process.
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Sources and limits
These are practical recommendations drawn from the sources below. Founder accounts are retrospective, and vendor guides describe their authors' approaches. They do not establish a guaranteed result for your project.
A retrospective account of first users and the later move toward content and other channels.
Advice on introductions, outreach and learning from prospective B2B customers.
A curated discussion of audience-building and the commitment it requires.