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Comment by nns1212 | Hacker News Reader

@robinwarren thanks a lot for the link!

I agree that selling to SMBs and Enterprises are very different approaches.

We are still in the customer development phase (http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/2008/11/what-is-custome...) and really want to "get out of the building" to start learning about whether our assumptions are right.

I am not really sure how to approach the organizations. Is face-to-face a better option or online networking is better?

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I don't think it's hard. Have a think about the kinds of customers you would like and then make a list of companies that match your assumptions. Phone them up and say you have a new product that might be of interest and could you come and show it. Maybe 10% will be interested. Go and visit them and listen hard to what they do/don't like about your ideas.

You'll learn one of three things: a) your product could be a good fit for them with some iteration or b) your assumptions about the types of customers you want is wrong or c) your idea stinks.

Deciding between these is up to you :)

Cool, great advice.

However, phoning them up generally connects us to their customer helpline. What is the best way to reach the right person within that organization of >50 people?

Don't phone customer support, phone the main switchboard and ask the name of the person in the relevant department. If you're building a sales tool then ask for the head of sales. Depending on the size of the organisation you might get batted down to a lower level but it's up to you to hustle upwards once you're there. The main thing is if you're looking for validation then get the product in front of the people who will be using it, not their procurement or IT department. Get the target users emotionally engaged and then they will help you run the gauntlet of pricing and tech with the other departments.

@iand - great, thanks for your advice.

Find businesses you think meet your customer profile in your geo, and then call them and ask if you could borrow a little of their time.

Frankly you should have done this before you started building anything

I suppose there is a reason they suggest you 'get out of the building'. But I can't really advise you from personal experience, you probably know what you need to do. Good luck!

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