How Fieldboom got 100 paying customers BEFORE building their product

Inside: The clever Facebook ads strategy that helped Fieldboom enter the crowded survey market. Learn how they found product/market fit, got pre-payments, and validated demand without writing a code

Hey founder!

Today we're exploring how Fieldboom a company that is no more. But the strategy they used to get their initial customers will stay a learning for most of us forever. Fieldboom entered the hyper-competitive survey software market against giants like SurveyMonkey—and managed to get 100 paying customers before writing a single line of code.

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🎯 The Brilliant Move: Pre-Product Customer Validation

While most startups build first and validate later, Fieldboom flipped the script: they got customers to pay before building anything. Their approach wasn't just about market research—it was about confirming true product/market fit with actual revenue.

📊 Breaking Down The Strategy

1. The Competitor-Focused Approach

   • Created targeted Facebook ads aimed at competitors' users

   • Offered "free lifetime access" in exchange for feedback

   • Used a simple survey to identify pain points

   • Conducted 1-on-1 discovery calls with qualified prospects

   • Asked for pre-payment as ultimate validation

2. The Execution Plan

   • Facebook ad targeting SurveyMonkey followers

   • 5-question survey about frustrations and wishlist features

   • 28 follow-up discovery calls with interested respondents

   • Direct pre-payment offer ($200 for lifetime access)

   • Expanded approach to reach first 100 customers

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💡 Why This Approach Dominated

The pre-product strategy succeeded because:

• It validated market demand with actual money, not just words

• It precisely identified competitor weaknesses to exploit

• The approach generated both qualitative and quantitative insights

• They built exactly what customers asked for (and were willing to pay for)

• The early buyers became advocates and product co-creators

🔍 Real Impact of Their Validation Strategy

From their product launch approach:

1. Validation Results

   • 300+ survey responses collected in just a few weeks

   • 28 discovery calls conducted

   • 8 pre-payments secured (29% conversion rate)

   • 100 paying customers before product launch

   • Clear product roadmap based on validated needs

2. Product Direction Insights

   • Users wanted simplicity over feature bloat

   • Automation was a key differentiator opportunity

   • Pricing confusion was a major competitor weakness

   • User experience was valued over advanced features

   • Respondents had specific workflow pain points to solve

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🛠️ Action Plan for Your SaaS

1. Map Your Competitive Landscape
   Ask yourself:

   • Who are the established players in your space?

   • What are their likely pain points based on public reviews?

   • Which competitor has the most engaged/accessible audience?

   • What "magic wand" solution could you realistically offer?

   • What pre-launch offer would be compelling enough for payment?

2. Build Your Validation Campaign
   Based on successful validation approaches:

   • Create targeted ads aimed at competitor users

   • Develop a concise, specific survey (5-7 questions max)

   • Ask for both positive and negative competitor feedback

   • Include the critical "magic wand" question

   • Always request contact information for follow-up

3. Implementation Strategy

   • Start with a small ad budget ($500-1000)

   • Follow up personally with every qualified response

   • Structure discovery calls to end with payment offers

   • Document exact pain points and requested solutions

   • Use pre-payments to fund initial development

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🎯 Quick Win for This Week

Create a simple 5-question survey about your biggest competitor. Ask what users like most, like least, and what they'd change with a magic wand. Run a small $100 Facebook ad campaign targeting that competitor's followers or LinkedIn audience.

🤔 Food for Thought

What product assumptions have you made that could be validated (or invalidated) with direct competitor user feedback?

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🎁 Pro Tips for Pre-Product Validation

1. Survey Design Framework
   From validation research:

   • Keep it under 5 questions (response rates drop dramatically after that)

   • Ask about both positives and negatives (balanced insight)

   • Include the "magic wand" question (reveals true desires)

   • Make contact information required (for follow-up)

   • Ask about willingness for a call (qualifier for serious prospects)

2. Discovery Call Structure

   • Thank them for their feedback (relationship building)

   • Dig deeper into their specific pain points (validation)

   • Present your hypothetical solution (testing)

   • Gauge reaction to potential pricing (financial validation)

   • Make the pre-payment offer (ultimate validation)

3. Measurement Framework Track these metrics:

   • Survey completion rate

   • Call acceptance rate

   • Pre-payment conversion rate

   • Common pain points mentioned

   • Feature request frequency

Remember: "I'd use that" means nothing. "Here's my credit card" means everything.

Keep validating!

Best, Balaji

P.S. Have you validated your product idea with pre-payments? Reply and share your experience – I'm collecting validation success stories!

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Know a founder about to build an unvalidated product? Forward this newsletter!

Useful Tools:

• Typeform - Beautiful surveys

• Facebook Ads Manager - Targeted advertising

• Calendly - Scheduling discovery calls

• Loom - Record concept videos

Further Reading:

• The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers

• Pre-Selling Your SaaS Product

• Customer Discovery Playbook

• Validation-First Startup Methodology

Pre-Product Validation Success Stories:

• Buffer - Got 100 paying customers using a landing page

• Dropbox - Generated 70,000 waitlist signups with a video

• Product Hunt - Built an email list before launching the platform

• Superhuman - Extensive pre-launch interviews and $1M in pre-payments