How to Do Pre-Sales Before Your MVP Is Live

Introduction: Why Pre-Sales Matter Before Your MVP

Launching a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a pivotal step for any startup. But here's a secret many successful founders know: you don't need a fully developed MVP to start making money. In fact, doing pre-sales before your MVP is live can be one of the most powerful moves to validate your idea, fund development, and build a loyal customer base before writing a single line of code.

This blog dives into how to do pre-sales before your MVP, offering practical strategies, examples, and tools that real founders are using to drive early traction. We'll also show how platforms like Riemote can support your pre-launch efforts with on-demand tech talent and development expertise.

What Are Pre-Sales and Why Should You Care?

Pre-sales refer to the process of selling your product before it actually exists. This can include collecting payments, securing letters of intent, or gathering sign-ups from interested customers.

Here’s why pre-sales before your MVP are crucial:

• ✅ Validate demand before investing time and money
• ✅ Fund your MVP development with early revenue
• ✅ Build a community of early adopters
• ✅ Get real-world feedback before launch

According to a Harvard Business Review study, one of the top reasons startups fail is due to building products nobody wants. Pre-sales help you avoid this costly mistake.

How to Do Pre-Sales Before Your MVP: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Define Your Offer Clearly

You can’t sell what you can’t describe. Your value proposition must be razor-sharp, even if the product doesn’t exist yet. Answer these questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• What specific problem does your product solve?
• How will their life be better after using it?

Craft this into a clear, one-liner pitch. Example:
“We help remote teams hire vetted developers 10x faster, without the HR hassle.”

Step 2: Build a Landing Page

You don’t need a full website. A high-converting landing page is enough to capture attention and leads.

Key elements of a pre-sales landing page:

• An attention-grabbing headline
• A short product description with benefits
• Testimonials or mockups (if available)
• A clear CTA (Buy Now, Pre-Order, Join Waitlist)

Tools like Carrd, Webflow, and Unbounce are great for this. Or if you want expert help, Riemote offers MVP landing page creation services with startup-friendly pricing.

Step 3: Collect Payments or Commitments

Once people are interested, don’t just collect emails—ask for money or commitment.

Ways to do this:

• Pre-order form (Stripe, Gumroad)
• Early bird discount for early adopters
• Founding member packages
• Letter of intent (LOI) for B2B sales

Fun fact: Dropbox famously used a demo video to validate demand and gathered 75,000 sign-ups in one day—before they built the product.

Step 4: Reach Out to Warm Leads

Don’t just rely on passive traffic. Be proactive:

• Message people on LinkedIn
• DM niche communities (Reddit, Discord, Slack)
• Run small cold email campaigns

The script can be simple:

“Hi [Name], I’m building a tool to help [target audience] solve [problem]. We’re offering early access at a discount for feedback. Interested?”

Step 5: Use Scarcity and Social Proof

Scarcity triggers urgency and trust. Mention things like:

• “Only 50 early bird spots”
• “Join 120+ people already signed up”
• Testimonials or quotes from beta users

If you don't have customers yet, create mockups and gather feedback-based quotes from potential users.

Tools and Services to Supercharge Your Pre-Sales

Here are some helpful tools and services:

With Riemote, you don’t just get pre-vetted developers—you get fractional CTOs, UI/UX experts, and startup strategy support tailored for founders at the MVP stage.

Real-World Example: How Founders Nail Pre-Sales

Case Study: "Startup X"
A founder had an idea to help freelancers manage invoices and taxes. Instead of building the tool, she:

1. Built a landing page with a fake dashboard screenshot.
2. Collected 200 emails in 2 weeks via Twitter and LinkedIn.
3. Offered a 50% lifetime discount to the first 30 sign-ups.
4. Pre-sold $1,500 in licenses—enough to hire a part-time developer on Riemote.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Waiting until the MVP is complete to start talking to users
• ❌ Overbuilding without market validation
• ❌ Hiding pricing “until it’s ready”
• ❌ Forgetting to collect payments/commitments

The most successful founders sell before they build.

Conclusion: Pre-Sales Are Your MVP’s Best Friend

Doing pre-sales before your MVP isn’t just about making money—it’s about proving your product deserves to exist. The earlier you validate with real paying users, the better your chances of long-term success.

Need help with your MVP development or pre-sales strategy?

✅ Tap into vetted developers, designers, and CTOs at Riemote—your launch-ready remote team.

FAQs: Pre-Sales Before Your MVP

Q1: Is it ethical to sell something that doesn’t exist yet?
Yes, as long as you're transparent about delivery timelines and intentions. Many tech giants started this way.

Q2: What if people don’t buy during pre-sales?
That’s useful data! It means you need to tweak your offer or rethink your product-market fit.

Q3: How can I handle refunds if the MVP is delayed?
Use platforms like Gumroad or Stripe, which make refund processing easy. Be honest with your early adopters—they’ll often stay loyal.

Q4: Can I do pre-sales for B2B products too?
Absolutely. Focus on getting LOIs or contracts. Use demos and pitch decks instead of fully functional products.

Q5: What if I need help building the MVP after pre-sales?
That’s where Riemote.com comes in—your on-demand tech team is just a click away.