I closed a €500k deal without a product

I closed a €500,000 deal without a product.

ForkOn was more idea than reality back then. We were building an MVP. The vision was clear — digitalize forklift fleets — but we had nothing to show. No product. No customers. Just a pitch deck and conviction.

One of my co-founders met the CEO of a large battery manufacturer at an investment fair. They produce batteries for forklifts. We saw an opportunity: what if we helped them digitalize their battery management while we built our forklift solution? We'd eventually connect both — batteries and forklifts — into one system.

Here's the clever part: we were planning to build the battery data feature anyway. We needed it. So why not get paid to develop something we'd build regardless?

We got a meeting.

Before walking in, we sat down as a team. We asked ourselves: What do they actually want? What would it be worth to them?

We had no idea how to price this. None of us had sold a deal this big before.

One co-founder said, "We could charge €100,000." That felt high to me at the time.

Another said, "Why don't we double it?"

Then I walked into that meeting. And something happened.

I put all my nerves aside and dropped a number: €500,000.

I had to suppress a smile. I felt like an impostor. This was five times what we'd originally discussed. I had no idea if it was reasonable.

Then they said yes.

I couldn't believe it. I still remember the moment — trying to stay composed while my brain was screaming.

We delivered. It wasn't easy. Challenges came up. But we figured it out. The customer was happy.

Was I lucky? Maybe. But I've since watched dozens of founders do the same thing. The ones who doubled their prices didn't lose deals — they lost the wrong customers.

Most founders charge too little. You know every flaw in your solution. Every gap. Every shortcut. So you discount before anyone even asks.

But the customer? They just see what you can deliver. And if it solves a real problem, it's worth more than you think.

You don't want all customers. Especially not the low-paying ones.

High-paying customers are actually easier. They're less demanding. They're easier to satisfy. And because they pay you well, you can afford to deliver extraordinary work.

Low-paying customers? They'll question everything, and drain your energy.

Here's what I tell every founder I work with:

Double your price. Just try it.

Drop the number. Wait through the silence. See what happens.

The worst case? They negotiate down, and you end up where you would've started anyway.

The best case? They say yes — and you realize you've been leaving money on the table for years.

This week's action:

➡️ Look at your current pricing. Whatever it is — double it in your head.

➡️ Your next sales conversation this week — drop the higher number. Don't explain it. Don't apologize. Just say it and wait.

➡️ Notice the silence. That's normal. Let them respond first.

Charge a price so high, you have to suppress a smile saying it out loud.

That's how you know you're in the right range.

All the best,

🌱 Tim