The right people don't know we exist

Start with who already bought from you and did well, not who you wish would buy. You can probably name your three best customers. The trouble is that this knowledge lives in a few people's heads, so nobody can apply it to a new lead.

Try this first

1. List your customers and mark the ones who stayed, bought again or sent someone your way. Those are your best customers, even if they aren't your biggest.

2. Go through the deals you won and lost in the last 6 to 12 months. For each one, write down what made them start looking and what decided it. The losses show you who to stop chasing.

3. Write down what you believe about your market, such as "mid-sized firms are our sweet spot," and check each belief against your list. Drop the ones that don't hold up.

4. Put what's left on one page: no more than 8 to 10 criteria, plus the signs that someone isn't a fit.

How you'll know it's working: anyone on your team can look at a new lead and give the same answer: good fit, maybe or pass.

Just getting started? You won't have this data yet. Chapter 4 of The Startup Reality Check, "Who Actually Buys This?", covers how to work it out.

Go deeper

• If You're Marketing to Everyone, You're Selling to No One

• You Know Who Your Best Customers Are. Here's How to Build a System That Finds More of Them.

• 3 Customer Targeting Quick Wins

• The Startup Reality Check, Chapter 4

Test this instead of guessing. Searching for your own company name tells you very little, because an AI tool knows you when you name yourself. What matters is whether you come up when a buyer describes the problem. G2 reported in April 2026 that 51% of B2B software buyers now begin their vendor research with an AI chatbot.

Try this first

1. Write 8 to 12 questions a buyer would ask before they know you exist, such as "Who specializes in [problem] for [type of company]?"

2. Run each question in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews. Record who gets named and which sources are cited.

3. Score each answer from 0 to 2 on three things: whether you were named, whether the description was accurate, and how early you appeared.

4. Fix the most common gap first. If you're missing almost everywhere, make your company name, description and category identical on your website, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile and the main directories in your field. Then put clear, direct answers to those buyer questions on your own pages.

How you'll know it's working: when you rerun the same questions every few months, your scores rise and the descriptions of your business get more accurate.

Go deeper

• How to Audit What ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity Say About Your Company (includes a free worksheet)

• Why AI Engines Recommend Your Competitors and Not You

• Your Buyers Are Asking ChatGPT Who to Hire. You're Not in the Answer.

• GEO Compounds SEO: How to Fund Both in 2027

Happy customers usually stay quiet for ordinary reasons. Nobody asked, they don't know who you want to meet, they don't know what to say, and an introduction puts their own reputation on the line. All four can be fixed.

Try this first

1. Describe your ideal referral: the person's role, the type of company, the event that makes them look for help, and the problem they need solved.

2. Write two sentences a customer can forward without editing: who you help and what changes for them, then a low-pressure next step.

3. Ask soon after a good result or when a project wraps up, so the request follows something they valued.

4. Thank the person within 24 hours, whether or not it leads to a sale. Add a "Referred by" column to wherever you track leads, and review it monthly.

How you'll know it's working: you can say how many introductions you got last quarter, and from whom.

Go deeper

• The Startup Reality Check, Chapter 13: Where to Show Up (starts with your existing network)

Being known comes from being useful, repeatedly, to a specific group of people. That takes time, so pair it with the faster step of talking to people who already know you. You don't need a finished website or a content plan to start.

Try this first

1. Contact former colleagues, customers and acquaintances. Tell them what you do and exactly who you're looking to help. "Let me know if you think of anyone" won't produce names.

2. Pick one place where your buyers already gather, such as an industry association, a community or a publication. Choose it based on where they are, not where you're comfortable.

3. Show up as a resource before you ask for anything. Give a talk, answer questions or publish a useful guide to a common problem.

4. Get one specific testimonial by asking "What result did you see?" If you don't have customers yet, offer a reduced-price pilot with a testimonial as part of the agreement.

How you'll know it's working: new contacts mention something you said or wrote before you bring it up, and more conversations start with someone coming to you.

Go deeper

• The Startup Reality Check, Chapters 11, 13 and 15 (positioning with no track record, where to show up, and building authority from zero)

• 4 Content Strategy Quick Wins: Create Content That Converts, Not Just Educates

• 3 Content Strategy Quick Wins: Get 10x More Value From Content You Already Have

Which of these should we fix first?

Start with who your best customers are. Referrals, AI visibility and getting known all work better once you can say exactly who you're trying to reach.

Do we need a big budget?

No. Every step on this page costs more time than money. The AI check takes about an afternoon, and asking for referrals costs nothing.

How long until this works?

Asking your network and your happy customers can start conversations soon. A reputation and visibility in search build over months and years, so run them side by side.