Instead of reinventing the wheel, identify top operators in non-competing industries who excel at a specific function (e.g., Yelp marketing). Offer value upfront, like buying their team lunch, in exchange for an hour of their time to learn their exact playbook.
Related Insights
The most effective way to start a new venture is to reverse-engineer success. Talk to 20 successful people, find a business model and lifestyle you want, and "steal like an artist" by applying their blueprint to your own situation.
Instead of cold calling, ask a target executive for a 10-minute interview for an article you're writing on an industry topic. This non-salesy approach grants access, positions you as an expert, and initiates a relationship on collaborative, not transactional, terms.
Founders without a marketing background can bypass traditional learning curves. By using AI tools to analyze the strategies of successful competitors or admired brands, they can quickly gain a practical understanding of positioning, funnels, and messaging, and then apply those proven concepts to their own business.
Instead of guessing what your audience will buy, validate their problems directly. Offer 30-45 minute consulting calls for a small fee. After just five to ten calls, you'll uncover clear patterns in their challenges, revealing the exact high-value service or product you should build next.
Dedicate call blocks to connect with junior employees at a target account. The goal is not to book a meeting with them, but to gather intel on internal challenges and key players. Use this information to craft a hyper-personalized message for the actual decision-maker.
Instead of guessing your competitive advantage, ask potential customers which other solutions they've evaluated and why those products didn't work for them. They will explicitly tell you the market gaps and what you need to build to win.
For cold outreach, hyper-personalizing every prospect is inefficient. Instead, identify patterns across similar roles or industries and develop 'targeted messaging' that speaks to these common challenges. This allows for scalable and relevant outreach without time-consuming individual research.
To validate an idea before writing code, identify customers quoted in competitors' press releases or featured on their websites. These individuals are proven early adopters in your target market and are often surprisingly willing to offer advice to founders, providing a direct line to valuable feedback.
Seeing an existing successful business is validation, not a deterrent. By copying their current model, you start where they are today, bypassing their years of risky experimentation and learning. The market is large enough for multiple winners.
To bridge the sales-marketing gap, have marketers make prospecting calls. This forces them to understand the customer's business, ask difficult questions, and learn firsthand what messaging resonates. It elevates their perspective beyond lead funnels and content metrics to genuine customer understanding.
