When testing a new product or offer, many founders and marketers screw up market research and pre-sales by coming off as a desperate mad scientist. Or end up being misled by polite encouragement.
If you’ve tried to pre-sell a prototype to get validation, but ended up coming across as a used car salesman AND without solid feedback, this is for you.
This may look like startup-stuff at first sight, but it’s 100% valid for anything NEW you launch, even as an established dinasour:
- a new event
- a feature set
- a new version of XY
- a new offer or pricing
But how do you do that right?
After 12 years in SaaS, 8 huge product launches and a few significant GTM-turnarounds, I never leave home without THIS one crucial go-to-market element:
The Validation & Conversion Sprint
It helps you get real feedback and real buyers without burning your reputation.
— — — — —
Imagine:
New product(set) ready.
Product documentation: done.
Internal edits and feedback: checked.
Let’s get some validation from real people, shall we?
We’ve learned from Y-Combinator videos and through re-reads of The Lean Startup that the most valid form of validation is:
Getting paid.
By the end of this newsletter, you’ll know exactly how to combine market research with pre-sales—so you get brutal honesty, real commitments, and maybe even your first customers, all without losing trust or looking desperate.
You’ll walk away with a script and a step-by-step call structure that gets you feedback and pre-sales, and keeps your reputation intact.
Why It’s Easy To Mess Up
Most people botch early feedback and pre-sales. They either get fake encouragement or come off as pushy. The real win is combining both—so you know if people will actually pay, and you get honest, actionable feedback.
In my early GTM days, I’d ask friends and contacts who were easy to approach: ‘Imagine you’re X and you wanted to Y. Would you buy this?’
Great framing, right? Of course everyone said yes and told me the product is great.
But when it came time to launch, crickets.
So I realized I had to change
WHO I approached,
the way I framed, asked
how I structured the conversation.
The Structure:
Reach out to people matching your ideal customer profile and buying committee members for your product or feature. Kind of obvious, but because it’s harder, it gets neglected.
Frame the ask as a request for feedback, not a sales pitch.
On the call, start with three core problems you see in the market—watch their reactions, listen to their words.
Ask which problem resonates and what you missed.
Present your value proposition as the solution to their chosen problem.
Walk them through the product, pausing for clarity and questions.
Test pricing by stating your intended price and watching their reaction—don’t push for a sale.
Offer a pre-launch deal only if it feels natural, and let them make the first move.
Example Sequence:
I’d message:
‘Hey Alex, I’m working on a new tool for B2B marketers. It solves X, Y, and Z.
Can I show you in 20 minutes and get your feedback?’
On the call, I’ll start with:
‘Here are three big problems I see. Do any of these keep you up at night?’
Then after describing the 3 problems in no more than 3 sentences each, I shut up and listen.
You want to get to the one that’s truly biting them… and ask if any other relevant problem is even heavier for them.
Then comes the “demo” of the feature/event/product/service/course/community/…lemonade stand - or whatever you’re launching.
Walk them through the steps/process, constantly tying back to how the given part helps solve the big problems.
Then, you’ll want to get feedback on the price. Here is how I frame it:
‘I’m thinking of launching at $500/month.’
No explanation, no justifying. And then I let them talk. At this point, they usually start thinking out loud and they actually try to justify the price.
Absolutely zero pressure or pitching allowed here. If they are interested, they’d tell me. When interested they’ll go:
Obviously this is something that would be interesting for us… hm…
…and they’d have a few questions, which invites deeper discovery.
Important: Opinions vary about this but I do not want to raise the suspicion that this is a pitch in disguise, so I steer clear of questions like “so, would this be something you’d buy?”
If you led the process right and dug into their pains, they will feel obliged to tell you whether they would buy it or not. Sounds weird, right? Here is why:
When your solution lines up perfectly with the challenges they just admitted to having, it creates a kind of tension. People naturally want to close that gap; so if they’re genuinely interested, they’ll ask about next steps or even bring up buying on their own.
You don’t need to push. Let them fill the silence, let them resolve the constructive tension - if it’s there.
How to Get Great Feedback Instead Of Polite Lies
There are books and university courses on how to do customer interviews right, to get to uncover real insight… and I certainly don't intend to compete with that.
But here is a piece of advice worth 3 books on the topic:
Ask “why” 5 times.
This is especially important when digging into problems. When they identify the top problem, I would ask why is that the top problem?
…and follow up with another “okay, but why is THAT such a big problem?”
…and then: “okay, but is this really worse than [percieved big problem they have]?”
Truth be told, I never get to 5 whys (but the guys who are really good at this, do) because by the third one get really deep.
Pro tip if you're feeling uneasy and dumb and asking seemingly obvious questions. Lead with “This might sound like a weird question, but….”
Again, you’ve only asked for 20 minutes of their time initially so you can only go so deep, but problem discovery and poking deep deep deep is the crux of the call.
Funny thing is, the deeper you dig in their problems, the more interest they’ll have in your solution.
They’ll Lie By Default
I don't know about you, but I always want to show up with “constructive enthusiasm” around people. So if someone came up to me with an interview like this, my default state would be a few pieces of advice and a good amount of encouragement.
Because, who the hell doesn't want to encourage other people?
But this is not what you're looking for. Polite encouragement and a couple surface level ideas and a lot of agreement reassuring you that your idea is great, is your enemy here.
By following the five WHYs, you dig beneath the surface to get the insight you’re craving.
Key Takeaway
If you remember one thing: The best market research is getting people to vote with their wallet—but only if you make it about them, and their problem, not about your need to sell.
Don’t chase validation. Chase truth. And the truth is in honest feedback and their willingness to pay, not their willingness to be polite.
Summary
To wrap up, here are the 3 things that make The Validation & Conversion Sprint work:
Lead with problems, not your product.
Listen more than you talk and dig deep. Watch for real reactions, not just words.
The ultimate validation is the interviewee closing themselves. Don’t pitch, just present the opportunity and see who steps up.
Your Turn
Try this approach the next time you come out with something new. Use the script, watch their reactions, and see who tries to buy. Then tell me what happened. :)
Have a swell rest-of-the-week:
Dan Renyi, founder at this company