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Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

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Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#1

Post by jdileo »

Ellison, Horowitz, PG, Nadella and countless others of import have espoused the critical role elite salespeople play in startup cultural and financial success (hustle, relentlessness, fierce advocacy of product teams, iterating user value prop, etc.) Yet hiring managers remain routinely and unapologetically bias towards salespeople. Bias increases by multiples when the record of sales achievement isn't related to a technical product.

For context, I've earned a 7 figure income for 10+ years as an individual contributor and have also recruited, hired & trained extraordinary achieving sales teams.

Please, please dear HN I implore you to counsel me on this subject. --->Does it not strain all credulity to believe that the totality of skills + IQ + EQ, etc. possessed by a high achieving sales professional are incompatible with mastery of a technical product, rapport with engineers & PM's, ability to facilitate TAM & competition due diligence, etc, etc, etc.?

As it stands presentlythe status quo is lose-lose. I lose an opportunity to join the tech pioneers building the future.....and they lose a 80-100 hours a week sales machine with instant ability to move the needle.

Re: Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#3

Post by scombridae »

If we assume every one-on-one transaction is a zero-sum game, and if we assume the salesperson aims to gain, then the buyer necessarily loses.

While not every transaction is zero-sum, nearly all those being shoved in our faces daily are.

The irony is most programmers are aware their software is a solution looking for a problem, and rely on their own salespeople to win the game they despise. It's not hypocrisy if we do it.

Re: Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#4

Post by anigbrowl »

Many people in tech has had a bad experience (or sometimes several) with sales people who make commitments to a client to close a deal, and then come back to the office and tell the tech people what they need to deliver. Finding oneself having to bridge the gap between reality and what the client imagined they were going to get is an acutely unpleasant experience. Recall too that many people work with computers because they don't particularly enjoy working with people. Of course, it's equally true that good sales people take that social burden off engineers and act as bridge builders with clients rather than selling used cars.

On a more general level:

> I've earned a 7 figure income for 10+ years > a 80-100 hours a week sales machine

Maybe just chill out a bit? A lot of people don't want to work 4-5000 hours a year, and if their utility function doesn't match yours then they're just going to find you stressful to be around. By most people's standards you've already Made It economically speaking, yet you sound anxious as hell about everything falling apart.

Re: Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#6

Post by elmerfud »

In my experience most of the time sales people spend their efforts selling the engineers on the lies they told the customer rather than selling the customer on the product that already exists and creating a market for that product. This is why a lot of engineers do not like sales.

Re: Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#7

Post by jdileo »

anigbrowl wrote: post #4

Many people in tech has had a bad experience (or sometimes several) with sales people who make commitments to a client to close a deal, and then come back to the office and tell the tech people what they need to deliver. Finding oneself having to bridge the gap between reality and what the client imagined they were going to get is an acutely unpleasant experience. Recall too that many people work with computers becau…

Respectfully, the experience you outline above is a routine example of sales hackery. Does it not ideally underscore precisely why startups/tech orgs strategically error in their woeful sales hiring protocols?

Re: Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#8

Post by jdileo »

elmerfud wrote: post #6

In my experience most of the time sales people spend their efforts selling the engineers on the lies they told the customer rather than selling the customer on the product that already exists and creating a market for that product. This is why a lot of engineers do not like sales.

Kindly see above reply.

Re: Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#9

Post by jdileo »

scombridae wrote: post #3

If we assume every one-on-one transaction is a zero-sum game, and if we assume the salesperson aims to gain, then the buyer necessarily loses. While not every transaction is zero-sum, nearly all those being shoved in our faces daily are. The irony is most programmers are aware their software is a solution looking for a problem, and rely on their own salespeople to win the game they despise. It's not hypocrisy if we d…

Dear friend, grab a pitcher of water and fill the glass to minimum 51%.

Your response, while applicable to the car salesman pushing the useless add-on feature or Best Buy associate shilling a warranty for the crappy laptop you just bought, is a galaxy away from the issue I've raised. Each of us is granted limited time on this earth, I'd urge you to consider only working on software that remedies a problem you truly care about.

Re: Ask HN: Why Do Tech's Gatekeepers Despise Salespeople?

#10

Post by jdileo »

sirspacey wrote: post #5

I think you’ll find there are plenty of tech companies who value your skill Engineers tend to undervalue sales, so companies founded by engineers can reflect that I’m curious what your process has been for finding a potential team to join?

This month marks the 14th anniversary of the '08 financial collapse, a debacle founded upon naked greed, corruption and cronyism.

In late August '08 I was epitome of rags to riches American Dream, bootstrapped founder of a 100+ person startup boasting 12 consecutive years 2x growth, 8-figs liquid and a signed LOI that represented generational wealth. Easy guess what happened next......

To answer your question Sirspacey, I'm nearly as passionate about crypto/blockchain rendering global feds impotent as I am about loving my amazing wife and children.

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