How to Convince Clients to Entrust Their Money to a New Company?
- Michał Stachera
- Oct 28
- 4 min read
When you’re launching a financial product, the hardest question isn’t “How do we build feature X?” but “How do we earn trust?” And where do you find your first clients if you don’t yet have an impressive portfolio, and every conversation starts with: “Who’s on board?”, “How many transactions do you process monthly?” or “How many active cards do you have in the system?” These are uncomfortable questions - but you can’t avoid them. What you can do is answer them wisely and build credibility step by step.
Table of Contents:
Start from the Circle of Trust: Investors, Angels, Friends, Partners
Before Your Brand Becomes Recognized, Build an “Internal Brand”
Social Proof: References, Mini-Cases, and “Useful” Numbers (Not Just “Pretty” Ones)
The “First 10 Clients” Program: How to Execute It Operationally
How to Convince Clients to Entrust Their Money to a Startup? Trust is the Currency You Have to Earn
1. Start from the Circle of Trust: Investors, Angels, Friends, Partners
At the beginning of Sparados’ journey, we relied on the strong backing of our shareholders and partners. We had the WP2 Investments fund on board, along with experienced managers and founders of financial companies. That opened doors - it made it easier to “break the ice” and set up initial meetings.
Our first commercial users were friendly companies from the industry (including Verestro, Fenige, and GoPay). Thanks to that, we:
Got quick production feedback,
Detected issues invisible in staging,
Could show real implementations to the next clients - instead of just slides.
This isn’t a trick - it’s a conscious use of social capital. Recommendations work because people trust people. Global studies have long shown that referrals from friends are the most credible channel: 88–92% of consumers say they trust recommendations from people they know more than ads. In B2B, the effect is even stronger - a significant portion of leads comes from referrals and relationships with existing clients.
Practical takeaway: Before you buy a billboard, map your network: investors, advisors, former employers, university peers, technology partners, and even… your parents or classmates now working in relevant companies. Ask for a specific intro to a decision-maker, not a generic recommendation.
2. Before Your Brand Becomes Recognized, Build an “Internal Brand”
You can’t sell anything externally if your team doesn’t believe in the product internally. For us, it was crucial that everyone - especially sales - had:
A consistent set of answers to common questions and objections,
A checklist of proofs (production screenshots, stability reports, SLA metrics, case studies),
A strong storyline: who stands behind us, what problems we solve, and where it’s already working.
Only after that came the names: “We’re backed by Cezary Smorszczewski (co-founder of Alior Bank), Krzysztof Drzyzga (CEO of Financora), and the WP2 Investments fund with a portfolio of dozens of companies.” And yes - it worked. But the foundation was that every team member could tell this story confidently and consistently.
3. Social Proof: References, Mini-Cases, and “Useful” Numbers (Not Just “Pretty” Ones)
Instead of chasing a “big logo for the slide,” focus on instantly verifiable social proof:
Mini-case from the client’s industry: “Insurer X reduced fraud by 23% thanks to MCC restrictions and contextual limits; settlement time dropped from 5 to 2 days.”
Concrete product metrics: uptime over the last 90 days, average authorization time, chargeback rate.
Proof of process quality: POC implementation time, number of iterations, stress-test results.
4. The “First 10 Clients” Program: How to Execute It Operationally
Define the segment where you can deliver value the fastest (e.g., benefit cards for companies with 50–200 employees; insurance cards with MCC restrictions; project cards in construction). Then:
Pilot offer: 6–12 weeks, clear scope (e.g., up to 100 cards), discount in exchange for a reference and mini-case.
SWAT team: product + integrator + L2 support dedicated to one client to shorten time-to-value.
Hypotheses → metrics: define 3–5 KPIs upfront that will prove your thesis (e.g., settlement time, % of declined non-policy-compliant transactions, admin NPS).
Smart risk limits: transaction volume caps, MCC whitelists, real-time monitoring.
Why it works: Because a reference from “a company like mine” increases purchase likelihood far more than general PR. In B2B, many buying processes start with peer recommendations and professional conversations.
5. Content That Builds Trust (Not Just SEO)
In fintech, the best marketing is often technical education: how to secure MCC cards, read chargebacks, pass audits, or optimize benefit spending. Deep-dive articles and case studies build authority faster than generic slogans. Infrastructure companies show that expert content is one of the pillars of enterprise client acquisition.
Template for a high-performing expert article:
The problem: defined and measurable (e.g., benefit fraud accounts for X% of costs).
How to measure it: specific reports and dashboard formulas.
How to fix it: clear steps and checklists.
Case: before/after chart and three takeaways.
6. Involve the Entire Team in Sales
Engage every employee. It doesn’t mean everyone should be calling clients - but everyone should be able to answer “What do we do, and who is it for?” and have one personal intro ready. Often it’s an engineer who knows an architect in a company currently looking for a solution. Organize an internal “Intro Day”: everyone brings 2–3 contacts and commits to securing one concrete connection.
7. What Worked for Sparados?
At first, we grounded our conversations in relationships and the people behind us. We were open: “We’re backed by experienced fintech investors and operators.” Then we added the first major implementations and real production numbers. Over time, it has become self-reinforcing: references → new implementations → stronger metrics. The key was that our sales team wasn’t afraid of tough questions - they had clear, consistent answers and a complete set of proofs.
How to Convince Clients to Entrust Their Money to a Startup? Trust is the Currency You Have to Earn
Building credibility in finance is a process - not a one-time campaign. Clients won’t entrust their money to a company that “looks good on slides,” but to one that can demonstrate real performance, stability, and people with experience. Trust is built layer by layer: first through relationships, then within the team, and finally through numbers and references.
Every step - from a pilot project to publishing a case study - is an investment in your future reputational capital. A new fintech can’t outscale a bank - but it can outperform one in responsiveness, transparency, and authenticity. Because in finance, paradoxically, the most advanced technology is still trust.