Anyone know of any sales programs that put you through the rigor of actually selling something as opposed to sitting through a seminar?
Founders need to get radically better at sales
21–30 of 33 posts
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#22From reading the article, I'm sold on the idea that I need to be better at selling. Is there any material you'd suggest to help founders get better at sales?
I went through this experience, learned enough to hard (very hard) way that I start the Sales for Nerds podcast[1] so that other technical founders would have an easier time. ;-) Don't worry, there's only one episode where it's just me, mostly it's other folks sharing their stories and strategies. It's basically all the stuff I wish I'd had earlier...
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Go buy some courses/coaching programs. It’s way less about one specific action turning you into a great salesperson. You don’t turn into a marathon runner overnight. Ive spent $7k on coaching and sales this year (just what I could afford from my small startup) and it’s RADICALLY improved my production. Just start trying shit (udemy, go to local sales events, spend more). If you actually learn how to sell you’ll be ab…
Any recommendations? Which udemy course is it?
https://salesprocess.io/home is good. I'm a customer and it has helped me grow my B2B marketing practice and my clients' businesses.
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#24As an electrical engineer with 15+ years in global enterprise software sales, a track record of 100MIO$+ sales in the past ten years and 2 failed software startups as an experience i can share following: - A company only has excistence with paying customers. - The global economy excists because of supply and DEMAND. So start preaching the benefits of your products or services, because there is a very high likelyhood…
> can't be achieved through reading a book. Note to others: Some people learn better when they first acquaint themselves with some theory, then take that mental framework into practical situations and use it to orient themselves and pick out the important features of a situation. Know thyself and if thats you, avoid disorientation by being getting good book (or class) recommendations and discussing them. Just make su…
“Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle”
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#25Even engineers working for a company need to get much better at sales of their ideas.
It is not the best idea that wins, is the best idea that was sold
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#26As an electrical engineer with 15+ years in global enterprise software sales, a track record of 100MIO$+ sales in the past ten years and 2 failed software startups as an experience i can share following: - A company only has excistence with paying customers. - The global economy excists because of supply and DEMAND. So start preaching the benefits of your products or services, because there is a very high likelyhood…
what does mio mean in this context? i googled and it says it means millions in some financial markets but what is the io for?
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#27As an electrical engineer with 15+ years in global enterprise software sales, a track record of 100MIO$+ sales in the past ten years and 2 failed software startups as an experience i can share following: - A company only has excistence with paying customers. - The global economy excists because of supply and DEMAND. So start preaching the benefits of your products or services, because there is a very high likelyhood…
what does mio mean in this context? i googled and it says it means millions in some financial markets but what is the io for?
It’s just an abbreviation for million, supposedly from Germany.
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#28As an electrical engineer with 15+ years in global enterprise software sales, a track record of 100MIO$+ sales in the past ten years and 2 failed software startups as an experience i can share following: - A company only has excistence with paying customers. - The global economy excists because of supply and DEMAND. So start preaching the benefits of your products or services, because there is a very high likelyhood…
- You think you can't do sales? Have you ever applied for a job, sold yourself to your current girlfriend, husband or wife, challenge a friend with fact or a value creation discussion? You have done sales...
This thinking is quite freeform. The following opinion is not one I hold strongly.
Selling myself to a girlfriend feels very different though. First, I need to define my target market. I like women who are quite like myself. I value intelligence and wisdom above everything else. So I screen for that heavily. One of the things I do is I look in their eyes, do they look intense and conscious? If so, it might be that they are my type, so I go up and talk to them and am my playful geeky self. If they like that and respond back in kind then I continue for asking their number and go on a date to drill down further on intelligence and wisdom. I mostly care about their learning ability after that.
Hmm, I suppose it isn't very different. Though, to be fair it sounds like a cross-over between sales and hiring good people.
I feel the difference in sales is that my girlfriend needs to add value to my life. Sales doesn't necessarily need to add direct value in life as long as it can add financial value through other ways.
I think you're quite right.
Hey you're in Amsterdam (or so I hope)! Want to grab a coffee? I created a new email for HN people to email me at, see my bio.
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#29As an electrical engineer with 15+ years in global enterprise software sales, a track record of 100MIO$+ sales in the past ten years and 2 failed software startups as an experience i can share following: - A company only has excistence with paying customers. - The global economy excists because of supply and DEMAND. So start preaching the benefits of your products or services, because there is a very high likelyhood…
> can't be achieved through reading a book. Note to others: Some people learn better when they first acquaint themselves with some theory, then take that mental framework into practical situations and use it to orient themselves and pick out the important features of a situation. Know thyself and if thats you, avoid disorientation by being getting good book (or class) recommendations and discussing them. Just make su…
A book won't help you making the actual sale. It can provide you some guidelines (SPIN, Miller Heimann, Sales 2.0, DISC, Challenger Sale and many more) and confidence to actually start, but eventually the complexity of the actual sale can be mapped to the weather. However if you have identified the clients budget, mapped their stakeholders, communicate with the decision makers and you have created the need and urgency for your solution, you can increase the likelyhood of coming to a sale. Even tough things will happen outside of your control.....
Re: Founders need to get radically better at sales
#30As an electrical engineer with 15+ years in global enterprise software sales, a track record of 100MIO$+ sales in the past ten years and 2 failed software startups as an experience i can share following: - A company only has excistence with paying customers. - The global economy excists because of supply and DEMAND. So start preaching the benefits of your products or services, because there is a very high likelyhood…
>>> - Before you start building your MVP, sell the value proposition. If you are not able to sell and validate your value proposition, you will struggle selling your MVP.
This is sad and true. Sad because you can't just code stuff and hope it will sell.
Fortunately, it is yet possible :
> ...there is a very high likelyhood there is potential client
:-)