Build a calculator, grader or checker that solves one problem for free, on its own page, and collects leads for years.
In February 2007 HubSpot launched Website Grader, a free tool that scored any website on its marketing. HubSpot said it was built to generate buzz, traffic, inbound links and leads. It graded 250,000 sites in its first year, more than two million by early 2010 and more than four million by December 2011, when HubSpot replaced it with Marketing Grader (HubSpot, 2008 to 2011). None of HubSpot's announcements gives a customer figure.
Dubai has its own version. Bayut launched TruEstimate, a property valuation tool built with Dubai Land Department data, in June 2024, and its chief executive, Haider Ali Khan, said it produced more than 100,000 reports in under five months (Economy Middle East, late 2024).
SaaS, agencies, consultancies, finance and property businesses: anyone whose buyers have a number they want to know.
Traction calls engineering as marketing one of the most underused channels: a tool built once keeps earning search traffic and links, while a campaign stops when the budget does. HubSpot's Website Grader, built partly to bring in leads for its software, had graded more than two million websites by early 2010 (HubSpot). AI coding tools have since cut the cost of building one from weeks to days.
Self-reported. HubSpot's own announcements (2008 to 2011) and Bayut's chief executive (Economy Middle East, 2024).
Cost to test. A no-code tool or a few days of development, usually under $1,000.
Kill it if after three months it has no steady search traffic and has produced no leads.
A tool that needs explaining fails. Asking for the email before the result kills usage. It needs a page that can rank, or a plan to put it in front of people. Keep the maths honest: a flattering calculator loses trust at the first sales call.
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A 30-minute call first. If it fits, two calls in one week and a written growth plan you keep.