The List of 100

A list of five prospects can easily produce zero. A list of a hundred, worked properly, reliably produces a handful.

This is the single most common gap between founders who get traction and founders who conclude their channel does not work. The instruction is not "improve your pitch." It is: make the list a hundred, work it through, and come back with what you learned.

One list per channel. Build it in a spreadsheet; keep this file as the definition of the channel and the cadence.

The channel


Channel	`[e.g. corporate canteens / kirana stores / gift shops / nutritionists / hospital procurement / MeitY-registered incubators]`
Geography
Why this channel
What "yes" looks like	`[stocked 5 units / signed a pilot / placed a trial order / took a meeting]`
Target list size	100
Realistic conversion	`[you are looking for roughly 5%. If you get 0 from 100, the problem is the offer, not the list.]`

Building the list

Where the names come from. Use several sources — one source gives you one kind of prospect and you will hit the end of it at forty.

Source	Names found
Maps / local search, systematically by area
Industry directory or association member list
Competitor customer lists (visible on their site or socials)
Alumni network, university offices, professional bodies
Existing customers' referrals
Trade show and exhibition attendee lists
Public tender or procurement portals
Walking a neighbourhood and writing down every one you pass
Social platform search on the right job title
Total

Ask for introductions explicitly. Alumni offices, incubators, chambers of commerce and your own customers will make introductions if you ask for something specific and small. "Could you give me two or three names of offices here I could approach?" works. "Do you know anyone who might be interested?" does not.

A small gift and a business card go a long way when you are the one asking for a favour. One product, nicely presented — not your whole range.

The sheet

Columns. One row per prospect, no exceptions.

Column	Notes
#
Name
Organisation
Location
Contact person and role
Phone
Email
Website / socials
Source	Where you found them
Segment
Status	`not started / emailed / followed up 1 / followed up 2 / called / visited / meeting / trial / won / lost`
Last touch	Date
Next action	And its date
Outcome
Objection	If no — why. This column is the most valuable one in the sheet.
Notes

The cadence

Applied to every name. Most deals are lost to silence, not rejection — and founders stop at two touches.

Step	When	What
1	Day 0	Email or message: who you are, what it is, the order sheet or a link. Make saying yes trivially easy.
2	Day 7	Follow-up. A different angle, not a repeat of the first.
3	Day 14	Second follow-up.
4	Day 21	Phone call.
5	Day 28	Visit in person.

Daily target: [e.g. 10 outbound touches every working day]

Ten a day is 200 a month. That is the whole difference.

The in-person pitch

For channels you can walk into. Thirty seconds, then a specific ask.

"Hi, I'm [name], I run [company] — we're based right here in [area]. We make [what] for [who]. I'm trying to test it in the local market. Could you keep five pieces on your counter for two weeks? I'll leave them and a flyer, and I'll come back to collect your feedback either way. If they sell, here's the order sheet."

What makes it work:

Risk removed. Free or on consignment, small quantity, short window, you come back regardless.
Local. "I live in this neighbourhood" and "please support a local business" both work, and they are true.
One flyer, one order sheet. They cannot stock you if they do not know their margin, your minimum order and how fast you deliver. See trade-order-sheet.md.
Easy reordering. A QR code that opens a WhatsApp message with the order already drafted.
You are also buying information. Ask what they think will sell, what price they would put on it, what they already stock in that category.

Progress

	Target	Now
Names on the list	100
Contacted (touch 1)	100
Followed up at least twice
Called
Visited in person
Meetings / conversations
Wins	5
Explicit no, with a reason recorded

→ Report these numbers in the weekly recap every week until the list is worked through.

Objections log

The output that matters even if the channel fails.

Objection	Times heard	Your best answer so far

If you reach 100 and win zero, the problem is not the list — it is the offer, the price, the product or the channel. Come back with this table and it will usually tell you which.