We're going through this right now, too, and we've finally found our first paying* customer. What I found helpful was introductions, and in this case, even int

We're going through this right now, too, and we've finally found our first paying* customer. What I found helpful was introductions, and in this case, even introductions made through a cold call. I'd been pounding away for weeks, signing up free accounts and begging people to actually use the service, or tell us why they weren't when they said it was something they'd like. I was also sending a lot of e-mails and making a lot of calls to hand-researched groups I thought would make good customers (like your product, it's fairly niche). I'd get blown off, blown off again, and then when I finally made the call, they though the idea was dumb and we were doomed to failure (gulp). But they'd make an introduction to somebody who was on our side of the country, and with their name, good will and bad predictions, we ventured forward. That introduction has proved invaluable, as that connection, which itself took 3 calls, 4 e-mails and showing up at their office, has been a relentless cheerleader for us, going so far as to give us a shout out at an upcoming panel they're moderating in front of our target customers. So, personal introductions ... by any means necessary. Hope that's helpful. * We are, indeed, getting paid, but there's an asterisk for another day