The Pocket Guide of Essential Early-Stage Sales Advice
The post was 100% inspired by Michael Seibel's post re: The Pocket Guide of Essential YC Advice. Here’s link.
20 bite-size learnings I’ve collected from my sales experience.
0-1 sales talent does not exist. Founders, this is you.
Product/market fit is almost always found in adjacent markets. Don’t handcuff yourself to Day 1 market vision.
The demo should never be focused on the product.
You need to understand their buying process before you build your GTM.
Unlocking product/market fit is a process of elimination (like science), NOT a hedge.
If the problem is not currently being measured or managed, it’s likely not a priority.
Specificity is fastest way to build market trust. “Wow, I feel like this was built just for me.”
The quality of your questions is critical for discovery; the quality of their questions is critical for intent.
Your niche is not a random starting point. It’s a GTM strategy to prove the experiment.
Building a working GTM will take longer than building a working product.
Give yourself 18-24 months in the market to be invalidated, rejected, and redirected.
Consistency is the only way to unlock repeatable themes. Controlled conversations (i.e., experiments) are critical.
80% of early sales is getting them excited by YOU, the Founder — how you see the world and how you uniquely solve their specific problem. The product is the other 20%.
A seed-stage startup should never have a VP of Sales.
Channel partnerships are a colossal waste of time.
Some of the best wedge strategies target an uneconomical use case for incumbents.
If the primary need is being over-served, focus on the secondary need.
Someone asking for more features is never an early adopter.
Never join a startup where the sales team leads the product roadmap.
Speed to respond to a prospect/customer is critical — be attentive.
