If you have a B2B SaaS product almost ready, but you haven’t been able to onboard any customers yet, you’re in the right place.
These insights are gathered from software pilots we've helped run over the past decade for our own startups and for clients.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
You'll learn how to
- Acquire those crucial first customers
- Create and manage your first software pilot plan
- Understand what to measure and why
- Structure ongoing calls for continuous feedback
- Use your experience to guide growth and pitch to investors with confidence
The goal: getting closer to your customers
“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge”
— Daniel J. Orsten
A common problem for first-time founders
They think they know
- What customers want
- What customers need
- The problem that is most important to solve
- That their solution idea is the answer
For many founders, there is an illusion of knowledge
That their original solution idea is the answer—rather than focusing on people and gaining a deeper understanding of their world.
Focus on people, not forcing your solution
Focus on customer problems more than your current solution. This empowers you to adjust your product or even pivot to a more valuable opportunity.
Benefits of a software pilot program
Capture motivated early adopters
You want people who are willing to try new software and are experiencing the pain your product can solve today. Find people excited to provide feedback and use what you have to offer.
Trying to seem bigger than you are isn’t good early on
You will lose trust quickly with early customers with a dishonest approach. Be transparent and focus on learning.
Develop deep empathy for the problem
Get deep into the weeds with customers. The insights are valuable across your business—product, marketing, and messaging included.
Learn what hits or misses the mark
Challenge assumptions around what people will do and how they’ll use your product:
- Where were you wrong?
- Where were you right?
- Why?
Convert pilots into long-term customers and evangelists
A pilot program should help you understand benchmarks and what’s working. Capture data to gather powerful testimonials and case studies.
Inform roadmap, investment case, and market opportunity
You need proof that someone wants your product and will pay for it. Pilots help you gather evidence to raise your next round, identify next steps, and spot opportunities for growth.
PLG vs. SLG for early customer acquisition
Product‑led growth gets a lot of attention, but for B2B software pilots sales‑led growth is usually a better fit. Here’s why.
The problem with PLG for B2B software pilots
Lack of context
You only have assumptions about who users are and what they care about. It’s essential to learn who your early users really are.
Lower quality leads
Too many “curious” users can create noise. You need motivated users who care about solving the problem.
Lower activation
Pilots are meant to create clarity, not confusion. With poor context and leads, activation suffers.
Why SLG is the way to go for pilots
With sales‑led growth you’re more likely to get the right early customers—and the clarity to understand what works, what doesn’t, and who is the best fit.
How to run a pilot program for B2B SaaS
Never run free pilots
Charging ensures customers are invested and helps you screen for motivated participants—the ones you want in your pilot.
Never send new information over email, text, or PDF
Share on calls so you can learn from the conversation, refine your message, and get honest feedback.
Never end a meeting without booking the next meeting
BAMFAM: Book A Meeting From A Meeting. Pilots are ongoing relationships—set clear, regular cadences.
Don’t skip parts of the process
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Skipping discovery leads to poor fit and weak ammo during sales conversations.
Don’t expect customers to self‑onboard, activate, and retain
Be the concierge of your product. Guide customers early—the care you give now shapes future growth.
Measure everything
Instrument your product to learn what is happening, then talk to customers to understand why. The goal of a pilot is understanding, not scaling.
Your first 5 pilots
Start in‑network. Ask, “Who else?”
Founders with domain access move faster. If you can’t name your first 2–3 customers, it will be a long road.
Limit to 3–5 customers
Create scarcity and urgency. Offer a hands‑on, high‑support program to learn quickly and build early case studies.
Don’t hide that your product is new
Use it as a benefit—participants help shape the roadmap and get a tech‑enabled service with real support.
Focus on providing a tech‑enabled service
Your login doesn’t have to do everything. It just needs to be viable to help solve a real problem. Billing can happen outside the platform early on.
Set a regular cadence and commitments for both parties
Define price (often discounted), expectations, and commitments to ensure you get the insights needed to evolve the product.
Selling your SaaS pilot
Understand what today looks like
Don’t force a fit for early revenue. Qualify prospects well and balance the vision with reality.
Get a benchmark of tools, processes, and current state of performance
Track progress for each lead and pilot user. Capture problems, feelings, and outcomes to speed up future sales conversations and build case studies.
Set metrics for success
Track against baseline metrics gathered pre‑pilot. Use data to improve the product, double down, and create strong case studies.
Set the right expectations
Don’t pretend to be a fully buttoned‑up company. Provide value through services, time, and understanding. Adjust the roadmap where it makes sense.
Guide the process with implementation timelines
From “yes” to activation, clarity wins. Share steps, requirements, and owners to prevent stalls and keep momentum.
Example of a software pilot plan template
Ongoing call structure
A 30‑minute structure works well for ongoing pilot calls (every 1–2 weeks early on). Here’s a sample agenda:
- 5 min — Build rapport and catch up
- 5 min — Review latest metrics and feedback
- 5 min — Identify key areas to support and improve
- 10 min — Share upcoming improvements and releases
- 5 min — Closing thoughts, next steps, schedule deep dive if needed
Creating a continuous impact loop for launch
Example: Focusing on customer activation
If a pilot user agreed to join but isn’t using the product as expected, explore why using customer data, feedback, and interviews.
Testing improvements
Design improvements to reduce friction in onboarding, test with customers, and implement after refinement. This is part of our continuous impact loop process.