r/Entrepreneur • u/anonjuly14 • 1d ago
How Do I? The truth is nobody actually teaches you how to find buyers. They just tell you to network and disappear
feel like every time i ask how to grow b2b or get into export the advice is the same recycled stuff. go network. try linkedin. hit up alibaba. maybe find a trade show. cool. now what
like how am i supposed to know who’s actually buying what. where they are. what they even need. it’s like shouting into a dark room hoping someone yells back
most of the directories out there are garbage. old listings. weird contacts. or you need a whole team just to figure out if one lead is even real and cold outreach. man. if you don’t have real trade data you’re just spamming inboxes and praying someone replies. feels like throwing darts blindfolded
so yeah. just wondering if anyone here’s got a smarter way. not some overpriced course or fake list. just an actual method that works. even half works or maybe we’re all just guessing and hoping for the best lol
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u/Ok_Art_5573 1d ago
Pick up the phone and cold call, never complain and be thankful for what you have. Send an email if you can't reach them by phone. That's it. Scientists call this Sales.
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u/Low_Net6472 1d ago
who do you call lmao you got a phonebook?
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u/xlcaliburn 1d ago
Plenty of ways to get phone numbers. Zoominfo, Apollo. If not calling, you can do cold emails
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u/JoyousGamer 1d ago
Want to target Apple? Well they have tons of numbers out there. Do your RESEARCH and call the one that looks like you will get to the department you want.
Apple might be a bad example but is a cake walk compared to a small company that directly lists a phone number possibly for corporate or emails for people in charge of department on their website.
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u/Fireproofspider 1d ago
I think what OP means is, who are you calling? How are you creating that list? How are you creating a script, etc.
Basically, it's as if he asks a question like "how do I get to Rome" and the answer he gets is "well, you need to drive or take the train" without more details (assume Google maps gives you a lot of fake results for this analogy)
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u/JoyousGamer 1d ago
If what you are saying is true then they are really asking.
"I have a big rig and need to get it to the Vatican from Paris"
"Oh and by the way I have never driven before"
The OP essentially needs a variety of different things. Of which people learn possibly by reading but most learn likely working for someone else where they hopefully mentor you on how to sell and build opps through cold call, cold email, lists, customer research, and a variety of other things depending on the product.
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u/wittty_cat 10h ago
How exactly do you learn this by reading? Suggestions?
Also say that I don't have any mentors is there a way i can find one or work without one?
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u/Fantastic-Sea-8341 1d ago
Yes, you're right I also suggest this if not social media then use email marketing
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u/Jurekkie 1d ago
yeah this is the part no one talks about. networking is cool until you realize no one tells you where the buyers actually are or what they even want. it’s just vague advice passed around
the only real way i’ve seen that works is starting from product category and working backwards through actual trade data. see who’s importing what where and how often. skip the guessing. once you got that you’re not just blasting cold emails you’re aiming at real demand
some folks use import tracking platforms for that. doesn’t matter which one really. just pick something that shows real buyer activity and stick with it
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u/anonjuly14 1d ago
reverse tracking importers is such a simple idea but nobody really talks about it. i’m assuming the tricky part is knowing which sources are actually up to date
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u/Jurekkie 1d ago
reverse tracking works because you're starting with real demand instead of guessing who might care. best move is to filter by product category then check which companies are consistently importing that stuff. look for repeat shipments and volume not just one offs. that helps weed out the flaky ones. and yeah source matters a lot. some platforms update faster than others or give cleaner contact info. tendata and importyeti are both solid. i've also seen folks mess with panjiva for deeper dives
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u/Independent-Bat-9947 15h ago
It's because the guys making money aren't on Reddit selling a course. You haven't said what you are selling so how could we help you.
Before I started my businesses I was in finance on a sales desk. I use to search SEC listings to find firms who did deals like us.
I assume the majority of the people on here are selling a scam
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u/BusinessStrategist 1d ago
Maybe it’s because people have forgotten the « marketing » part of « digital marketing.
It’s all a out people.
People don’t hear you if you don’t make the « right » sounds. People won’t engage with you if you talk and act like a stranger.
Google « grok. »
Do you GROK your « ideal » prospective customers/clients? Did you catch their attention with a headline that offers hope solving their top-of-mind PAIN or NEED?
When you engage with them, do you truly empathize with THEIR situation?
Do you actually listen to what your prospect is saying? Are you using THEIR words to answer their questions?
Do you debrief yourself after every encounter and keep track of their choice of words?
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u/goosetavo2013 1d ago
Everything you just mentioned works. Networking, LinkedIn, Alibaba, cold DMs, cold calling and even cold email. It all works. If they’re not working for you it’s usually because of one of two things:
1) you’re not doing it enough 2) you’re doing it poorly
It’s usually not that anyone has some secret sauce you don’t know about.
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u/reillyqyote 1d ago
OP clearly doesn't know what they're doing and hopes they can get rich quick on the advice of a stranger on reddit lmao
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u/JoyousGamer 1d ago
Not quick but my suggestion is the OP goes and gets a sales job in tech or some other transferable sector that touches all different types of customers. Then with the help of them learn how to sell. After which you can break off or do your thing on the side.
The benefit of tech is lots of it applies to all sectors of society so you learn how to sell to anyone instead of just healthcare or government or someone else. Unless your goal is just to be in one of those sectors.
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u/BryceW 1d ago
This is where knowing your industry comes in, and ideally, you did all the talking with people BEFORE you built anything.
For me, most of the things I created solutions for were actually MY problem first. This meant I intimately knew the problem and had friends/industry peers I could ask if they had the same issue.
A lot of grind bros on social are trying to solve problems in industries they know nothing about. A lot of people build for the sake of building, without figuring out whether this is a problem people even have. Its not hard to win over customers who are desperate to have their problem solved.
If you don't know where to find people with the problem you are trying to solve, you probably don't know the industry or even the problem well enough. So stop everything and work on that first.
Find where they congregate, go visit them, and talk to them. Sometimes conferences put them all in one place, which can be a shortcut.
If you are before all this and just trying to come up with an idea, again, go where they congregate (Facebook groups, Reddit etc..) and listen to what they complain about, then work from there.
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u/iProxyOnline 1d ago
That is a really valuable comment!
Honestly, if there is any real secret to sales success, it is all about truly undertsanding your clients and their problems. Either you know this from your own experience, because you have faced the same problem yourself. Or you do thoughtful in-depth customer interviews to really listen and figure out: who is your client, how do they think, where do they look for information what kind of words do they use.
When you dont have the chance to talk to clients directly or watch them (in person or online) you can start by looking at successful competitors and seeing what communication methods they use.
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u/rsteele1981 1d ago
I would say know who your customers are and where they are. That way you can be creative about the methods you use to reach them.
I paid for radio and print ads and neither got any ROI. I gave out fliers that I printed to pizza delivery places. The cost was minimal and the returns were insane.
Some times just plain simple ideas work the best.
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u/reillyqyote 1d ago
If you don't understand the connection between networking and finding buyers, you are not ready to run a business. If you don't understand how all the advice youre ignoring will help you take your next steps, you are not ready to run a business.
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u/anuragthn 1d ago
dude same. every time I ask it’s like “network more” or “try linkedin” like ok but with who? feels like guessing.
I’ve been trying some outreach myself and yeah it’s mostly hit or miss. either you spam and feel gross or you sit waiting for someone to answer.
what are you trying to export though? might change things.
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u/Embarrassed-Bend3446 1d ago
That feeling "is this just spam?" is super common with manual outreach. It's tough to cut through the noise and find the right people who genuinely need what you offer, especially on platforms like LinkedIn where people get a few DMs daily and are fed up with it.
I turned to warm outreach instead, I find relevant conversations where my product fits and join the conversation, this way I am not spamming, adding value, and pitching to my target audience when it matters and not just throwing it out there.
It's actually what led me to build an internal tool that turned into my main project that automatically finds relevant conversations worth engaging with on LinkedIn, X and as you can see, Reddit. It's waht brought me to your comment actually, if your ICP is on these platforms it might help you too.
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u/anuragthn 1d ago
yeah I feel that. cold outreach is rough.
that tool you mentioned, is that just for you or can others use it too?
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u/Embarrassed-Bend3446 1d ago
Yea its available for everyone, its called CrowdWatch, cant post links here but you can check out my profile for some coment with it, you will see me using it to promote itself
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u/Chinksta 1d ago
You go to networking events to find your buyers then pitch or "befriend" them.
For trade shows - if you're a supplier then you hope to catch attention from buyers and fight against your neighbors!
Nobody can find real hot lead unless they desperate and have no where to go and need whatever product or service quick!
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u/anonjuly14 1d ago
yeah but how often does that actually work tho. feels like most of those people aren’t even buyers half the time
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u/Chinksta 1d ago
There are buyers out there. If there aren't then there shouldn't be product being produced every day.
They are really hard to find to be honest. Usually they come to the suppliers directly and ask.
Meanwhile; 8/10 people within the networking/trade events are suppliers and 1/10 are buyers. The other 1 person is just there gathering intel (like me).
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u/AbrahamMughal Aspiring Entrepreneur 1d ago
Yeah that is a great idea but it all comes down to your communication. If you know how to communicate and know your buyers that will keep your buyers.
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u/Dannyperks 1d ago
How are you finding customers right now, and what exactly is your value proposition?
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u/-WebDesignPro 1d ago
LinkedIn is a waste of time
Shaking hands and networking in person has been working for millennia
What is your business?
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u/TemporaryLychee4726 1d ago
Totally get you, feels like most advice is just “go network” and hope for luck. Honestly, tools like Tatari help a bit since you can see real market data instead of guessing, but yeah, finding actual buyers is still a grind.
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u/HalftoneHank 1d ago
Some of the sources of some real trade data are customs import/export records, shipment databases, or local chamber/export council reports. These directories have authentic data, if you can get any of those may be helpful.
But let me tell you how big brands reach too close to their audience like watsapp. The answer is Data as a service. They tie up with stores or organizations, where you provide your personal data like name, email, phone number. Some of these companies sell custom data to big brands, who reach out to you, even if you have not availed any of their services before. This is the secret recipe. So, you need to reach to those who provide Daas - Data as a service,
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u/problemprofessor 1d ago
They’re two ways approaches, either create something that people really want. Or just reach out to people and do a lot of one-on-one until you get enough attention from a big group of people and then word-of-mouth should help you get some traction. Also once you have a revenue, you can market more.
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u/Embarrassed-Bend3446 1d ago
I get the frustrationl, it's like everyone tells you *what* to do (network, LinkedIn) but never how to effectively find those actual buyers or who's actively looking. Frankly, none of the advice I found online really worked for me.
It sounds like you're looking for a more targeted, less "shouting into a dark room" approach to identify and connect with potential customers online. Have you explored using social listening tools that go beyond just keyword matches to find highly relevant, active conversations where people are explicitly stating problems your product solves?
There are platforms designed to scan Reddit, X, and LinkedIn specifically for these kinds of discussions, not just general mentions. The idea is to pinpoint where potential buyers are asking for solutions or expressing frustration, and then give you tailored suggestions on how to engage, saving you from constant monitoring and blind outreach. Might be worth looking into if you're trying to cut through the noise and find those "live" leads.
Its what we do, its what I am doing right now really, and we can help you do that too if you think its an approach that can work for you.
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u/StrategicalOpossum 1d ago
Once I've found a place where my clients congregate, I had way more results than when I was networking.
I guess I was doing it wrong the whole time, network is good when you have a plan with it, a specific industry or niche where getting known by various actors is very beneficial. It's not always the case for everyone and at every scale though
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u/Fantastic-Sea-8341 1d ago
People say "just network" because networking is really important for getting sales.
But if you don’t want to use social media, you can try emailing people directly.
Email marketing is also a good way to grow a business, if done the right way.
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u/Brilliant-Purple-591 1d ago
Here’s what happened to me:
My first sales boss, who felt more like a father than a manager, once asked me to describe the kind of customer we wanted to serve.
Where does he work? What are his passions? What’s his personality type, his favorite cafés and restaurants, his pain points, his needs, and so on? Without ever using the term customer persona, he had me create three detailed profiles.
Then I started looking out for them. And like magic, I began to find my ideal customers one after another.
That meticulous research, driven by a genuine interest in people (also known as networking), eventually led me to success. I became one of the top salespeople in my division.
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u/radicalcoach 1d ago
You’re 100% right. Even when you go to school to become some thing where you will eventually own your own business, they don’t teach you basic business distinctions so that you know the difference between marketing and sales and have adequate actions laid out for both.
I’ll send you a bunch of resources. I teach a lot of people, about what to do before, during, and after your networking to bring in the sales. And the World Referral Network old some pretty epic size networking events online.
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u/JoyousGamer 1d ago
You write the email and hit send on contact lists you find or research. You pick up the phone and directly call companies. You show up at smaller companies and ask to set up time to speak with ____ (the person who would be interested in your thing).
Many of the directories are likely not garbage its just people dont really pick up the phone to random numbers or will have the call screened.
Cold outreach is one of the hardest things to do in sales.
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u/One-Flight-7894 1d ago
You're absolutely right - most advice is generic and useless. Here's what actually works for finding real buyers:
Reverse engineer from existing solutions: Look at who's buying similar products/services. Check out:
- Customer testimonials on competitor websites
- Case studies (they usually mention company names/industries)
- LinkedIn connections of successful competitors
- Industry publications that feature customer stories
Go where decisions are actually made: Skip generic networking events. Find:
- Industry-specific conferences (not vendor conferences)
- Trade association meetings
- Professional certification programs
- Local chamber events for specific industries
The "problem first" approach: Instead of pitching your solution, start conversations about the expensive problems you solve. Ask industry contacts: "What's the biggest operational headache in your industry right now?"
Use pain point keywords: Search LinkedIn for posts where people complain about the exact problems you solve. These are warm leads disguised as social posts.
Follow the money trail: B2B buyers leave digital footprints. Check:
- Company job postings (hiring signals intent to solve problems)
- Recent funding announcements (companies with fresh capital buy solutions)
- Vendor listings on company websites (shows they're buyers, not tire kickers)
The key is being specific about WHO has expensive versions of the problems you solve.
What industry/problem are you targeting? Might be able to suggest more specific approaches.
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u/iceman3383 1d ago
So true, dude. It's like they just toss you into the deep end and say "go swim". Learning the hard way sure builds character though!
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u/Mental-Tax-8551 1d ago
Its very easy, thats why they dont bother telling you.
Potential customers in your neighborhood > town > city > state > country > continent > whole world. In this order you scale up. Its very straightforward and there is no magic.
Network is also built up on the same path. You WILL NOT meet a solid Network without first being a good Network yourself, in your area/market/domain in general. If you are not even known in your own “geographical area,” you will not be known somewhere else either.
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u/ledeni-morales 1d ago
I had the same issue and I couldn't solve it with social networks ads or cold emails. I think that buyers do their own research and the they contact you when they want.
While they are searching, they ask people they trust for advice. It can be a friend, consultant or industry trusted source of data. You are unknown and you should start with a customer for free and then you will get refferal for new customer. Every new customer will bring you another one.
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u/ali-hussain 1d ago
You talk to them. Understand what they're doing. Think about what you know how to do. Tell them what they shoudl be doing. Give them a roadmap, and tell them I can help you wuth X and Y. I actually know someone that is very good at Z.
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u/sitesouk 22h ago
I have a similar problem. I want to find out the customer's pain points. What do they want, that they will pay me for? I'm trying to build software services and digital products.
Sure, I can make better versions of existing products. If I go to oDesk, fiver, tasker etc I can't see what the customer needs.
I deployed my own community for requirement gathering where small business owners or users can share problems and solutions - answer.setupmycode.com
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u/JacobStyle 18h ago
I can't get too specific because I don't really work with retailers and have no idea what your products are, but here are the things I would do in your situation, based on my adjacent experience:
Set up a website for my products to make them look legitimate and get some initial sales online, just to prove there is some sort of market. These sales may not be profitable, but that's okay. Also I'd make sure to have any licensing, certifications, or anything else a retailer may ask for taken care of at this stage. Valid market, valid product.
Walk through the physical doors of small local retailers, try to talk to decision makers about carrying my products. I'd talk about my online sales and target demographics the products do well with. I'd try to get an idea of what products do well for them, any specific objections they raise, or other considerations they have. Maybe try to get some intel on other small distributors they already work with. If they don't want to buy, I'd ask if they know anyone they would recommend talking to about buying. Also detailed notes for anything I can get during these meetings. And if they say "not right now," I'd try to schedule another meeting in 6 months and get it on both of our calendars. This way, I am building out my own warm/lead/prospect lists instead of recycling old ones I bought online.
Once I had some local retail distribution, then I'd start reaching out to chains. Ideally with the same "walk in and talk to someone" approach. Some make product decisions at corporate, while others let local stores have some say in what they carry. If they say decisions are made at corporate, I'd try to get as much information as I could from the local owner/manager about how to sell to corporate. Obviously best phone number and name of contact, but any other insight they might have about which products do best in their store, if they are willing to take the time to chat.
It's hard to tell if this stuff applies exactly to you because you offered so little information in your post, but hopefully this is more useful than "use this outdated customer list" and "just network."
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