Consulting Engagement · 4–6 weeks · Fixed project
PMF & Lighthouse
Customer Sprint
Break the pilot loop. Land your first enterprise reference customers and turn ‘promising prototype’ into a proven product with paying clients.
The problem this solves
Pre-revenue hardware startups and early-stage SMEs face a common deadlock: enterprise buyers want reference customers before committing, but you can’t get reference customers without first closing enterprise deals. The pilot never converts. The prototype never ships commercially. The loop never breaks.
This sprint is designed specifically for hardware startups with fewer than five customers, and SMEs struggling to close first enterprise deals in new segments. We help you design a compelling pilot offer, identify the right accounts, and give you the outbound engine to break through.
“We have a working prototype but can’t get past pilots. Buyers say ‘call us when you have references.’ How do we break this loop?”
What you walk away with
- ICP profile deck — ideal customer profile with technical buyer, economic buyer, user, and champion mapping
- Pilot offer 1-pager — pricing structure, success criteria, exit-to-contract playbook
- Target account list — top 20 qualified accounts with prioritisation rationale
- Outbound message templates — personalised for each buyer persona
- ROI/TCO calculator (Excel) — quantify value for economic buyers
- Objection handling script — responses to the most common enterprise sales blockers
What the engagement covers
Customer discovery
- ICP definition and buyer persona mapping
- Use-case prioritisation by payback speed and reference value
- Target account list building (top 20)
Pilot offer design
- Pilot pricing and scope structure
- Success criteria definition
- Exit-to-contract playbook
Outbound engine
- Outbound messaging templates per persona
- Channel partner introduction (where applicable)
- Weekly coaching calls + final pitch deck
This engagement is right for you if
- You are a pre-revenue or sub-5-customer hardware startup with a working prototype
- You are stuck in the pilot loop — promising demos that never convert to commercial contracts
- You are an SME entering a new segment and struggling to close your first anchor customer
- You need a structured outbound system, not just introductions
Ready to break the pilot loop?
Book a free 30-minute discovery session. We’ll assess where you’re stuck and outline how the PMF Sprint would apply to your specific product and market.