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Selling Before You’re Ready: Pre-orders, Presales & MVPs
In business, the idea of “launching only when everything is perfect” sounds safe — but it’s also one of the fastest ways to waste time, money, and energy. The truth is, successful entrepreneurs know how to sell before they’re 100% ready. This is where strategies like pre-orders, presales, and MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) come in.
If you’ve ever wondered how to test demand, raise funds, and validate your idea before investing heavily, this article is for you.
What Does “Selling Before You’re Ready” Mean?
It simply means offering your product or service to customers before it’s fully built or stocked. Instead of waiting for perfection, you let the market tell you whether your idea is worth pursuing.
Pre-orders: Customers pay in advance for a product that will be delivered later.
Presales: Customers commit early to buy (with or without payment upfront), often to secure a discount or exclusive access.
MVPs: A stripped-down version of your product that solves the main problem, tested in the real world to gather feedback.
Why Should Nigerian SMEs Care?
Running a business in Nigeria comes with real challenges — limited capital, high operating costs, and customer skepticism. Pre-orders, presales, and MVPs give entrepreneurs breathing space by:
Raising capital upfront without loans or investors.
Reducing waste by only producing what people already want.
Building trust by engaging customers early.
Testing demand before scaling.
Think about how music artists announce albums before release, or how tech startups launch apps in beta — that’s the same principle.
- Pre-orders: Sell First, Deliver Later
A pre-order means customers pay for a product before it’s available.
Example in Nigeria: Fashion designers often collect pre-orders for new collections, giving them funds to buy materials without going into debt.
How to use pre-orders effectively:
Be transparent about delivery timelines.
Offer incentives like discounts, freebies, or exclusive access.
Use social proof — show mockups, samples, or influencer endorsements.
Caution: Failing to deliver on time can damage your reputation. Always under-promise and over-deliver.
- Presales: Testing the Waters
Presales work like a “commitment to buy,” even before actual payment. They’re useful when you want to measure interest without financial risk.
Example: An online vendor can announce, “We’re bringing in a new skincare line — DM to reserve your pack.” If 200 people respond, that’s clear demand.
Tips for presales success:
Create urgency (“limited stock available”).
Collect a token deposit to ensure seriousness.
Use surveys, landing pages, or WhatsApp forms to gauge interest.
- MVPs: Start Small, Learn Fast
A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the simplest version of your product that still solves a customer’s problem. Instead of waiting until everything is perfect, you release a basic version, gather feedback, and improve.
Example in Nigeria: A food vendor testing new recipes by offering them once a week at a discount. If customers love it, it can graduate into a permanent menu item.
How to launch an MVP:
Focus on the core problem your product solves.
Don’t over-invest — keep it lean.
Gather customer feedback and iterate quickly.
Real-Life Success Examples
Tech Startups: Many Nigerian fintechs launched MVPs first, solving one small problem (like quick transfers) before expanding into full banking services.
Agribusiness: Farmers test new crops in small batches and sell on preorder before expanding production.
E-commerce vendors: Sellers on Instagram often announce “coming soon” products and secure sales before shipping containers arrive.
Key Takeaways
Don’t wait for perfection — the market rewards speed and responsiveness.
Pre-orders put money in your hands before you produce.
Presales measure interest with little risk.
MVPs help you test and improve before scaling.
Trust and transparency are everything — always communicate clearly with customers.
In Conclution
Selling before you’re ready isn’t about tricking customers — it’s about being smart. It allows Nigerian entrepreneurs to reduce risk, validate demand, and grow faster. In today’s fast-moving market, waiting until you’re “ready” could mean someone else beats you to your own idea.
So, whether you’re a fashion designer, farmer, tech founder, or online vendor, remember this: test small, sell early, and improve as you go.
