When validating their initial ICP, Blings struggled to get meetings. They shifted their outreach to ask for "advice" from industry leaders, framing it as picking their brain. This approach dramatically increased response rates and led to dozens of valuable interviews.
Blings found that having a small booth at many events was ineffective. They shifted strategy to consolidate their annual event budget into three major events where they could afford to speak and give masterclasses. This elevated their brand and dramatically improved lead quality.
Giving away free Proofs of Concept (POCs) positions you at the "bottom of the food chain." Charging even a small amount, like $5,000, forces the customer to take the project seriously and, crucially, begins the official vendor onboarding process within their company.
Blings ignored the common startup advice to focus on a single vertical. This led them to discover that "loyalty" was a powerful horizontal use case applicable across many industries like banking, travel, and retail. This broad appeal became a key growth driver.
Blings spent $20-30k on an event and generated 70 leads, but it yielded no ROI. They lacked a system to score, prioritize, and systematically follow up, causing the leads to go cold. A successful event strategy depends on the operational plan for after the event, not just attending.
Blings learned that separate Proof of Concept (POC) agreements cause massive delays by forcing a second, lengthy negotiation. Their solution is a single 13-month agreement with an exit clause after the first month, streamlining the process from POC to commercial contract.
The initial contact with McDonald's wasn't a formal process. A contact randomly sent the CMO's number, and the founder's persistent but friendly follow-up via text and calls secured a meeting, leading to their first major enterprise deal, all while bootstrapped.
Blings hired talented salespeople early on, but they couldn't close deals without a repeatable process. The founder learned the true signal to scale the sales team is when the playbook is so refined that even a mediocre rep can succeed, proving the process works, not just the person.