Tell early customers your product is brand new, not finished. Frame it as a benefit: they get white-glove, customized support. Being honest about bumps builds trust and beats sleazy sales tactics.
It's not sketchy because if your intentions are in the right place, you are there trying to help and you should use that honesty as a place to balance the conversation. And this is what a lot of founders get wrong is they think like, no, if I don't have it, that's like sleazy sales stuff. You should tell your early prospects after you've had the conversation that, oh, by the way, like this is like the first time we're doing this, right? And so like, 'cause with there comes benefits. It's like, well, you get white glove and we're going to customize it for you, but just know, like, there might be some bumps along the way. And like, that tells you that you're on the right path.
