Finding the Customers Who Actually Need You: A Hands-On Workshop with Todd Laurence

Most people think they have a product problem. They usually have a customer problem — they can't say precisely who their product is for, and they haven't validated that anyone urgently needs it.

In July, Todd Laurence spent an evening with 50 people making the case that sales isn't a dirty word. This is the follow-on: three hours, ten people, and your actual business on the table.

Todd has spent 30 years closing some of the largest deals in enterprise software history. Eight-figure contracts at Oracle. The largest enterprise deal in Cloudera's history. VP of Global Sales at Avidbots. As Managing Director of Thimble Peak Advisors and a former adjunct instructor at OSU-Cascades, he now works with founders, product teams, and business owners on exactly this problem.

Whether you're launching something new, taking a product to a new market, or trying to grow an existing business, the work is the same: know exactly who you're for, and prove they need you.

No lecture. No theory. No hypothetical case studies. You bring a real business and leave with real answers.

## What to Expect

A working session on ICP and Product Market Fit: How to define your Ideal Customer Profile, how to test it in discovery conversations by asking insightful questions, and how you'll know when you've actually found Product Market Fit.

Hands-on team work: You'll work in small teams, apply the frameworks to your own business, and give each other feedback. Todd coaches throughout and the room discusses as a group.

Pre-work: When you register, you'll receive Todd's presentation from the July talk plus two short articles on the power of silence and saying no. Read them before you arrive. The session assumes you've done the reading.

Bring:

• Your product or service
• A live prospect or deal
• A customer conversation you're struggling with

Ten seats: Small enough that Todd works with every person. That's the entire point.

## Why Attend

• A qualification framework applied to a real prospect
• Sharper discovery questions you can use in your next customer conversation
• Practice applying the techniques to an actual sales situation from your own business
• Direct coaching from someone who's closed at the highest levels of enterprise software
• Feedback from nine other founders working the same problem

## Who Should Attend

Founders, product leaders, solopreneurs, and business owners who are looking for their first customers, entering a new market, are the sales resource, or are trying to figure out whether they've found Product Market Fit. You don't need a sales background. You do need a real business or product to work on.

## Format

Three hours starting at 3:00 PM with a short break. Brief review of core concepts, then application to your own business. Drinks and snacks provided.

## Tickets

$195 early bird — first 4 seats or through September 16, whichever comes first

$245 regular

Includes light drinks and snacks. Full refund up to 7 days before the workshop. Within 7 days, tickets are transferable but non-refundable.

## Sponsors

Presented by… your company?

Our sponsors don't buy ads. They become part of the community. If getting in a room with early-stage founders doing the hard work of finding their first customers sounds like your kind of thing, let's talk: jpmcmahon@gmail.com.

## About What the Tech, Bend?

What the Tech, Bend? is Central Oregon's premier tech community — 900 members strong, with an average of 15+ years of professional experience. We host curated events that bring together the region's most experienced builders, operators, and advisors. Bend is the mountain town where serious work happens in an unserious setting.

Ten seats, three hours, and one of the most accomplished sales leaders in enterprise software working on your business.