Want enterprise logos? Don’t sell them a product — sell them a paid pilot.
Paid pilots: how to actually buy your way into enterprise logos
Stop pitching features. Sell certainty. Enterprises don’t buy roadmaps — they buy outcomes. No wonder they look for other enterprises that have tried it, they trust each other.
If you want a household name on your homepage, propose a paid, highly scoped pilot that delivers a concrete outcome they care about.
You get three things: real money to build what matters, an obsessed reference customer, and a product variant you can white‑label and scale.
Tactical checklist:
Define a 6–12 week pilot with 1–2 critical KPIs the buyer owns.
Price it (yes, price it) to cover your build + support effort.
Limit scope: deliver one workflow that replaces a manual headache.
Lock a success definition and post‑pilot commercial option (subscription OR build-for-fee).
Record everything: metrics, UX changes, decision-makers.
Personal Mantra: “You cater to one client… and you do like a paid pilot with them.”
Why it works: You fund product-market fit with customer cash and create a defensible case study that enterprise procurement actually respects.
ICP-first GTM architect | Building predictable revenue engines for SaaS & tech | Fractional CMO/CRO | Certified revenue architect | DM ‘GTM’ to get ICP working for you
4 days ago
This data is the beginning.
😇 IMHO 😇
There is a more important layer.
Cause an ICP is not just a way to make targeted lists.
Cause an ICP is not just a way to turn ACV in to the right motion.
Cause an ICP is not just a way to increate pipeline velocity
Cause an ICP is not just a way to increase conversion rate
It a perfect way to write compelling copy
Solving the outreach problem for professionals who are weak in filling their pipeline with high-ticket clients
5 days ago
A lot of startups try to buy credibility with flashy decks.
But it's not about just logos. It’s about creating a customer-funded R&D loop where your best case studies also become your best investors Stefan