Thus far I’ve founded two bootstrapped B2B startups, and led sales on both. One is off to the races, profitable, and growing. We even hired a general manager so that I can free myself up to work on other projects. The other is slightly more nascent, and just barely at ramen profitability.
It’s really hard to get started with founder led selling. I’m a (slight) introvert, and had basically no sales experience before starting my first business. While I have a business mind, and an MBA in addition to my programming skills, it was still very challenging for me to get started.
I used to view sales as this dark art that I could never master. I’m not “salesy.” I’m much more of a steak than sizzle person. I’m too honest. I don’t look, talk or act like the various stereotypes of a sales person. And so, I thought it was basically unattainable for me to be successful with sales for the first year of my first business.
I’m proud to say that through a lot of struggle and learning, I’ve actually become a decent sales person. For whatever I lacked in initial extroversion and unblended confidence, I make up for in understanding of strategy and product. I’m even fairly confident I could hit quota for any post product/market fit b2b SaaS startup out there.
What I’ve learned about b2b founder sales
It’s been nearly five years now since I started the first business. As a result, I get introduced to other founders every month or two who are starting to sell their products and want advice. Coming out of these conversations, I find myself repeating the same themes.
So, in no particular order, here’s my advice when starting to do B2B sales at your startup:
- Find a sales mentor who’s done pre-product/market fit selling before. It’s essential that someone has done the selling at the earliest stages of a company’s lifecycle. Even someone who led sales at a Series A company won’t have the proper mindset or experience to help you through this. Ideally, it’s another founder who’s been through it, and actually done the selling vs the strategy behind sales. Another bonus is if they’ve sold to the exact customer persona you’re trying to reach.
- Network with account executives who sell into a similar persona. Ask them to walk you through their entire sales process, from initial outreach to demo. Give them your sales pitch, and listen to their feedback. You’ll get good practice demo’ing, and some advice. However, you should realize that most sales reps selling a post product/market fit product will have very little understanding of why someone buys their product, that’s really up to you to figure out.
- Record your first 50 demos and listen to them each within 24 hours of the pitch. You will start to make small adjustments in messaging, in how long you answer questions, etc. Be your own coach and try to look objectively at your pitch.
- Ask for demos for software you are thinking about buying. Think about what the sales reps do well, and what they don’t do well. Mainly do this because you will realize 90% of sales reps are pretty mediocre. They don’t show up on time. They ramble. They don’t do any research. They are too aggressive. You can be 10x better than they are as a sales person, even if you’ve never sold before. And, you’ll have to be to get started without a brand, and a product that is probably half complete.
- Ask sales people you admire what books and blogs they read. My recommendations: FirstRound Review’s articles, this book on founding sales, and the Challenger Sale are good places to start. There is also a hilarious instagram account you will start empathizing with.
- Spend as much time in person with your prospects as possible. That means demos, as well as conferences, dinners, coffee, whatever you can. This will allow you to build trust, and learn a lot faster about your customer than doing calls or even video calls. Working out of one of their offices side by side is a great way to hear how they talk, what they care about, etc. This is great for product development, and even better for sales.
- Sales calls will probably become the most important way you will get feedback on your product in the next 6-18 months. Keep track of the themes you hear, and start to think about how you can build those into your offering / start charging for them. Record the closed/lost reasons for no-sale in a structured way so you can see what % fell out of the funnel due to pricing, competitors, etc.
- Sales can be a grind. I used to get nervous before calls, and found that creating a routine pre-demo really helped – jumping jacks, review the script, and believe that the product I’m offering will help the person on the other end of the phone. You also need to let go of any ego or expectations of being treated like a human being. Most people view sales people as a nuisance. You will get let down a lot by your prospects every single day, but that makes the wins so much sweeter. Plus, it’s a thing that happens to everyone, not just you.
- It’s going to take you a few months to make your first sales (assuming your product is >$1k/yr). Don’t get discouraged. Don’t think “we need to change the pitch/outreach/etc.” If you’ve been thoughtful about your process from the get-go, just keep building your pipeline.
- Celebrate the wins. I’m so bad at this and have some sort of Catholic guilt about it. When someone says “yes” – celebrate. When someone signs the contract – celebrate. When someone goes live – celebrate. High five your co-founder. Get a beer after work. Tell your significant other. Enjoy the moment and pat yourself on your back.
There are a million nuances to sales. My first business was straight B2B SaaS where we were selling HR a product to help with their recruiting. Getting headspace was tough. Getting budget was tough. Getting them to think about their job in a new way was tough.
In my new business, I’m selling to marketing. It’s a completely different buyer that has more budget and is more likely to experiment with new products. I also have an advantage in that I’m putting reviews of their software online, which means they care a lot more than if I was selling them a tool they can ignore. This allows me to cut through the noise more effectively. Of course, it comes with many other challenges, and some I haven’t even run into yet.
I hope you enjoy your journey to becoming an A+ sales person, which is a very attainable goal for any founder. My journey has helped me build win new business, think deeper about product, and kickstarted my personal branding efforts.
Good luck, and feel free to connect if I can be helpful in your journey!
I do believe all of the ideas you’ve offered in your post.
They are really convincing and can definitely work. Still, the posts are
very brief for beginners. May just you please lengthen them a little from
next time? Thanks for the post.
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert
that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any
way I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access
consistently rapidly.
Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It in reality was once
a leisure account it. Glance complex to more delivered agreeable from
you! However, how could we communicate?
Der Neugierige hält sie für naheliegend – doch der Sammler wundert sich.
Es geht Pi mal Daumen Frage nach der Anzahl: Wie viele Uhren besitzen Sie/Du denn?
Selbst jene, die vielleicht eine konkrete Zahl im Hinterkopf haben, werden diese kaum teilen. Beide Beispiele zeigen: Beim
ernsthaften Sammeln von Chronometern gehts nie, niemals um
die schiere Menge. Sondern rund Passion für diese die Seele besonders ansprechende
und vor Traditionen und Mythen strotzende Handwerkskunst.
Der Wert einer solchen Sammlung lässt sich nicht in Zahlen ausdrücken. George Bamford, britischer Customizer von hochwertigen Uhren und
selber ein „Collector at Large”, vergleicht stattdessen seinen Weg dabei von Alice im Wunderland, die einem Kaninchen in dessen Bau folgt und dadurch immer tiefer und weiter in unbekannte Welten vordringt. Es geht vielmehr grob gesagt Erfahrungen und Erlebnisse, die jeder Sammler auf seiner persönlichen Uhrenreise macht. Annähernd Jagd, die unter diesen Umständen zum Sammeln gehört, denn wenn auch einer „FAST alle” hat, dann gibt es garantiert auch für ihn mindestens
noch eine Unerreichte, eine weitere Trophäe.
Hello, Neat post. There’s a problem with your web site in web explorer, could test this?
IE still is the market chief and a large element of people
will pass over your magnificent writing because of this problem.
Bei 20 Prozent muss die Hilfsperson stark sein. Bei der Auswahl der passenden Steigung spielt also das individuelle Nutzungsverhalten eine Rolle.
Wird die Rampe dagegen im öffentlichen Bereich genutzt, ist eine Steigung von maximal sechs Prozent zwingend erforderlich.
Wer zahlt für die Rampe? Im Pflegefall können Betroffene von verschiedenen Einrichtungen finanzielle
Unterstützung erhalten. Die finanzielle Unterstützung kann über einen Zuschuss,
über eine vollständige Kostenübernahme oder über ein zinsgünstiges Darlehen erfolgen. Laut Ursache kommt
ein bestimmter Leistungsträger in Frage. Das hängt von welcher
konkreten Situation ab. Dann sind die Versicherungen erster Ansprechpartner.
Handelt es sich um einen akuten Hilfsmittelbedarf auf grund
Alters- oder Unfallfolgen? Dafür bietet u. a. die KfW Förderbank zinsgünstige Darlehen für barrierefreies Bauen.
Der Staat unterstützt jedoch auch die Vorsorge.
Denn ein Pflegefall kommt nicht in Frage immer längerfristig abzusehen.
Wer schon früh sein Wohnumfeld baulich anpasst, um auch fürs Alter vorzusorgen, wird von der neuen Situation bei Eintritt einer körperlichen Einschränkung nicht
unvorbereitet überrascht.
Greetings from Los angeles! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break.
I love the info you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get
home. I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful blog!
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to
this site before but after reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Nonetheless, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll be book-marking and
checking back frequently!
Pretty! This was an incredibly wonderful post.
Thank you for supplying this info.
Hello i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anywhere, when i read this post i
thought i could also make comment due to this brilliant article.
Systematische Navigation, eine App und ordentlich was gute Amazon Bewertungen. Tesvor arbeitet aktuell daran ihr Sortiment auszubauen.
Leider hat der X500 keine Gelegenheit auslassen Schwächen in unserem Roboter Staubsauger Test gezeigt.
Boris und ich sind mit null Erwartungen an den 150 Euro billigen Robo gegangen. Der Medion MD18500 ist oft auch als Aldi
Saugroboter bekannt. Lustigerweise war das, war wir gesehen haben, sogar recht
ordentlich. Bis dort hinaus einen Raum aufeinander folgend
sollten Sie dem Medion Saugroboter zwar nicht zutrauen. Der Robovac 11s von Eufy geht gerade einfach nur durch die Decke.
Aber hey, zeigen Sie mir ein Modell für 150 Euro,
das besser ist. Wir waren wirklich absolut gehyped auf den Roboter und
haben sogar extra auf das Upgrade – den Eufy Robovac 11s Max – gewartet.
Wir konnten den Hype nie im Leben verstehen. Und was soll ich sagen? Der Roboter fährt im Chaos Modus,
besitzt keine App und reinigt ok.
It’s going to be finish of mine day, except before end I am reading this impressive piece of
writing to increase my know-how.
Das ist aber wirklich nur in ganzen seltenen Fällen notwendig.
Solar-Bewegungsmelder: Dieser Bewegungsmelder braucht keine Batterien und lädt sich nur mit Sonnenlicht auf.
Wir haben ihn auch in Kombination mit einer
Solarlampe, wie Testberichte zeigen. Dieser Präsenzmelder nimmt auch Personen wahr,
die sich stillhalten und sitzen. Präsenzmelder: Hier haben Sie es mit einem sehr hochwertigen Bewegungsmelder zu tun. Sehr viel genauer werden von ihm auch Veränderungen bei der Helligkeit wahrgenommen. Wo kann ein Bewegungsmelder montiert werden? Es kommt
immer darauf an, welcher Einsatz für den Bewegungsmelder gedacht ist.
Kommt er nur im Außenbereich zum Einsatz oder soll er auch innen seine Dienste leisten. Dementsprechend unterschiedlich sind natürlich auch die Montagemöglichkeiten zu beachten. Wenn Sie beispielsweise Ihren Smart Home Bewegungsmelder montieren möchten, kann dies an der Wand,
an der Decke oder auch in einer Ecke geschehen.
Ist Ihr WLAN Bewegungsmelder einer der Fritzbox verbunden, müssen Sie natürlich auch darauf achten, dass er ein Signal
empfängt. Besonders bei der Montage in Ecken müssen Sie darauf achten, dass
der Sensor auch genügend Wahrnehmungsraum hat.
Hey there are using WordPress for your site platform?
I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started
and set up my own. Do you require any coding expertise to
make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone
to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to create
my own blog and would like to find out where u got this
from. many thanks
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your site.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much
more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
Superb work!
Your style is so unique compared to other folks I have read stuff from.
Thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this site.
Hello, i feel that i noticed you visited my blog thus i came to go back the desire?.I’m attempting to to find issues to enhance my web site!I guess its good enough
to use a few of your ideas!!
Today, I went to the beach with my children. I found a sea shell
and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the
shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab
inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to
go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but
I had to tell someone!
I know this web page offers quality dependent content and additional information, is there any other
web site which provides these stuff in quality?
My brother recommended I might like this web site. He was entirely
right. This post truly made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Your method of telling all in this post is truly nice, every one
be able to effortlessly know it, Thanks a lot.
Fantastic items from you, man. I have take into accout your
stuff previous to and you are simply extremely magnificent.
I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you’re stating and the way in which through which you say it.
You make it enjoyable and you continue to take care of to
keep it smart. I can not wait to read far more from you.
This is actually a terrific site.
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it
up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future.
Many thanks
I pay a visit everyday some web pages and
websites to read content, but this weblog gives quality based writing.
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this
onto a friend who has been doing a little homework on this.
And he actually ordered me dinner due to the fact that I found it for him…
lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the
meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to talk
about this matter here on your internet site.
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in reality
used to be a entertainment account it. Glance complicated to more added agreeable from you!
However, how can we keep in touch?
This piece of writing presents clear idea for the new viewers of blogging,
that actually how to do blogging and site-building.
Someone necessarily help to make seriously articles I would state.
This is the very first time I frequented your web page and to this point?
I amazed with the research you made to create this actual publish incredible.
Fantastic job!
Usually I do not learn post on blogs, however I wish
to say that this write-up very forced me to take a look at
and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me.
Thanks, quite great post.
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up!
I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.
Cheers
265 V eignet sich die PIR-Bewegungssensorlampe für Innen-, Außen-, Haushaltsflur, Flur, Durchgang, Garage,
Treppe, Schritt, Büro, Kaffeehaus, Einkaufszentrum usw.
? Wir hoffen, dass Sie ein tolles Einkaufserlebnis in unserem
Geschäft genießen können. Qualitätskontrolle?Wenn Sie Fragen zur
Qualität haben, zögern Sie bitte nicht, uns zuerst zu kontaktieren. LED BULB?
12W E27, kann in jedem E27-Sockel installiert werden; Spannungsbereich AC100 – 240V; Hell:
850LM; Vervollkommnen Sie für Garten, Veranda, Hotel, Zuhausetreppen etc.
80) strahlt es extrem helles und lebendiges Licht mit einer Farbtemperatur von 6000K aus, etwa angenehmste
Atmosphäre für jede person Raum zu finden. ENERGIE UND ÖKOLOGISCHE RETTUNG?
AUTO PIR BEWEGUNGSSENSOR? Erweiterter PIR-Sensor,
der sich automatisch einschaltet, wenn er eine Präsenz oder Bewegung innerhalb einer Entfernung von 16 bis 33 Fuß erkennt und nach 60 Sekunden Inaktivität ausschaltet,
wenn keine Anwesenheit oder Bewegung der Erkennung mehr vorhanden ist.
Die 12-W-Glühbirne ersetzt die traditionelle 60-W-Glühbirne, die 50-60% der Energie sparen kann.
Automatisches Ein- / Ausschalten, Umweltschutz.
WAS DU ERHÄLTST? 1 x Zanflare Bewegungs-Sensor-Glühlampe mit 2 Jahren Garantie, 100% Zufriedenheit und kehrt zu Null
garantierten Problemen zurück.
Yes! Finally someone writes about docdro.id.
Wow, superb blog layout! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for?
you made running a blog glance easy. The overall look of your
site is wonderful, let alone the content!
Hi, i think that i noticed you visited my weblog thus i came to return the favor?.I’m
trying to to find things to enhance my site!I guess its ok to use some of your
concepts!!
My brother suggested I might like this blog. He used
to be entirely right. This publish actually made
my day. You can not consider just how much time I had spent for this
information! Thanks!
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple,
yet effective. A lot of times it’s tough to get that “perfect balance” between usability
and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a great job with this.
Additionally, the blog loads very quick for me on Opera.
Superb Blog!
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this blog.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s tough to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and appearance.
I must say you have done a superb job with this.
Additionally, the blog loads very fast for
me on Internet explorer. Exceptional Blog!
You’ve made some really good points there. I checked on the net for more information about the issue and found most people will go along with your
views on this website.
It’s going to be finish of mine day, but before finish I am reading this
great article to improve my experience.
leorye 538a28228e https://coub.com/stories/4372780-book-interchange-intro-stu-nts-utorrent-zip-epub-full-version
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve visited this blog before but after going through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me.
Anyways, I’m definitely pleased I found it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back
frequently!
It is appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy.
I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you few interesting things or advice.
Maybe you could write next articles referring to this article.
I want to read more things about it!
I think that what you said made a lot of sense.
But, think about this, suppose you typed a catchier post title?
I ain’t saying your information isn’t solid., but suppose
you added something to possibly grab a person’s attention? I mean Tips for
Founders Sales: Lessons From Starting Two B2B
Startups – Phil Strazzulla's Blog is a little plain.
You could peek at Yahoo’s front page and see how they create article
headlines to get viewers interested. You might add a related video or a picture or two to grab people interested
about everything’ve got to say. Just my opinion, it would bring your blog
a little livelier.
obviously like your web site however you need to test the spelling on several of your posts.
Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I to
find it very bothersome to tell the reality however I’ll
definitely come back again.
I blog often and I seriously appreciate your information.
This article has really peaked my interest. I will book mark your website and keep checking for
new information about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.
What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It positively helpful and it has
aided me out loads. I hope to give a contribution & help different customers like its helped me.
Great job.
each time i used to read smaller posts that also clear their motive, and that is also
happening with this post which I am reading here.
Yes! Finally something about https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/148778378-porterfield.
Hello there! This post couldn’t be written any better!
Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate!
He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him.
Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!