4 ms·

> I've never had a company ask me "How would you sell this to someone else"? Have you? Do you actually state that question? Yes I absolutely ask that question,

by dlss 10y ago

> I've never had a company ask me "How would you sell this to someone else"? Have you? Do you actually state that question? Yes I absolutely ask that question, and have been asked this question. If you hang out around startups, especially ones using Steve Blank's Customer Development Methodology you'll hear it frequently. > Also notice how powerful this comment has just become, after I shared a personal story from the dating world I don't know if I agree with powerful. I will say I'm less optimistic about helping you come to a deeper understanding since, well, it sounds like your mind is made up. The best I can do is: imagine if you, and 7 billion copies of you, were the only people on this planet. Now picture where the above philosophy gets you in terms of global happiness. Perhaps strategies that emphasize communication would do better?

logicallee 10y ago
If there were 7 billion copies of me, then the best thing I could do to find out how to sell to them, is to sell to them. Not the best thing would be to ask them. Even more not the best thing would be just to look inside myself. Garry didn't even relate how pitches he would have said no to got him to say yes - because they 1, used plain-spoken language, or 2, zoomed out, or 3, had a big future, or 4, knew their numbers, or 5, understood something others didn't. I mean companies he would have said "no" to but these things made him say yes. Quite simply, these are not the things that make people say yes. Perhaps a better example might be this picture: http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-parody-comic/ http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-pa... It's a parody, right? But not exactly: many features there were explicitly requested by users. market research is good and important. Of course I would ask investors what they're interested in, what they think about something, what they would invest in. But that is not how you get them to invest, and although Garry does know how to get people to invest, he hasn't put it in this article at all. I suppose the article can be useful if you read it as, "What a YCombinator partner says they want to see from a pitch." Just don't confuse it for the real advise that will get you funded. This isn't it.
- dlss 10y ago
  > I suppose the article can be useful if you read it as, "What a YCombinator partner says they want to see from a pitch." Just don't confuse it for the real advise that will get you funded. This isn't it. I was taking Gary's list as "what to focus on if you're interviewing in two days" (ie quite literally "last minute tips" as indicated by his title). Given more time, I agree you should focus on product, team, and traction. > Garry didn't even relate how pitches he would have said no to got him to say yes - because they 1, used plain-spoken language, or 2, zoomed out, or 3, had a big future, or 4, knew their numbers, or 5, understood something others didn't. > I mean companies he would have said "no" to but these things made him say yes. 1. Isn't this asking a fish how to fish? :p (Just pointing out we apparently agree; happy to have you on board) 2. I think a fixation on companies that save it in the 9th inning is misplaced. If you're gong to cargo cult from a survivorship biased sample, you may as well pick a group that didn't start off with an error (so imitating "love at first sight" type companies rather than "won me over in the end" type companies). > http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-parody-comic/ http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-pa... I saw this a couple days ago too. I took this as indication you need to interpret customer feedback appropriately, not as indication you should avoid customer feedback. > But that is not how you get them to invest, and although Garry does know how to get people to invest, he hasn't put it in this article at all. I'm getting the feeling you think getting investment is about a con-men skillset. That hasn't been my experience. A focus on product, team, and traction is almost surely a better use of your time.
  - logicallee 10y ago
    good reply but my last-minute tip is "focus on telling a compelling story" (I know I didn't talk much about what tips I would give, but only objected to the tips he did give.) you are right that where I say he can do better I am asking a fish about fishing - but when he bagged the LP's for his fund (which is a massive and amazing effort) he played the fisherman (I presume.) so I think he's using the wrong role - he's using his role as a fish to talk about how to get fish, rather than using his role as a fisherman, which he also has recent experience with. It would be a more powerful write-up. the Initialized fund is extremely impressive, and it would be interesting to hear how he closed it (assuming that was his role). thanks for your reply!

by dlss 10y ago

logicallee 10y ago

If there were 7 billion copies of me, then the best thing I could do to find out how to sell to them, is to sell to them. Not the best thing would be to ask them. Even more not the best thing would be just to look inside myself. Garry didn't even relate how pitches he would have said no to got him to say yes - because they 1, used plain-spoken language, or 2, zoomed out, or 3, had a big future, or 4, knew their numbers, or 5, understood something others didn't. I mean companies he would have said "no" to but these things made him say yes. Quite simply, these are not the things that make people say yes. Perhaps a better example might be this picture: http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-parody-comic/ http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-pa... It's a parody, right? But not exactly: many features there were explicitly requested by users. market research is good and important. Of course I would ask investors what they're interested in, what they think about something, what they would invest in. But that is not how you get them to invest, and although Garry does know how to get people to invest, he hasn't put it in this article at all. I suppose the article can be useful if you read it as, "What a YCombinator partner says they want to see from a pitch." Just don't confuse it for the real advise that will get you funded. This isn't it.

dlss 10y ago
> I suppose the article can be useful if you read it as, "What a YCombinator partner says they want to see from a pitch." Just don't confuse it for the real advise that will get you funded. This isn't it. I was taking Gary's list as "what to focus on if you're interviewing in two days" (ie quite literally "last minute tips" as indicated by his title). Given more time, I agree you should focus on product, team, and traction. > Garry didn't even relate how pitches he would have said no to got him to say yes - because they 1, used plain-spoken language, or 2, zoomed out, or 3, had a big future, or 4, knew their numbers, or 5, understood something others didn't. > I mean companies he would have said "no" to but these things made him say yes. 1. Isn't this asking a fish how to fish? :p (Just pointing out we apparently agree; happy to have you on board) 2. I think a fixation on companies that save it in the 9th inning is misplaced. If you're gong to cargo cult from a survivorship biased sample, you may as well pick a group that didn't start off with an error (so imitating "love at first sight" type companies rather than "won me over in the end" type companies). > http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-parody-comic/ http://www.concept-phones.com/apple/iphone-7-kitchen-sink-pa... I saw this a couple days ago too. I took this as indication you need to interpret customer feedback appropriately, not as indication you should avoid customer feedback. > But that is not how you get them to invest, and although Garry does know how to get people to invest, he hasn't put it in this article at all. I'm getting the feeling you think getting investment is about a con-men skillset. That hasn't been my experience. A focus on product, team, and traction is almost surely a better use of your time.
- logicallee 10y ago
  good reply but my last-minute tip is "focus on telling a compelling story" (I know I didn't talk much about what tips I would give, but only objected to the tips he did give.) you are right that where I say he can do better I am asking a fish about fishing - but when he bagged the LP's for his fund (which is a massive and amazing effort) he played the fisherman (I presume.) so I think he's using the wrong role - he's using his role as a fish to talk about how to get fish, rather than using his role as a fisherman, which he also has recent experience with. It would be a more powerful write-up. the Initialized fund is extremely impressive, and it would be interesting to hear how he closed it (assuming that was his role). thanks for your reply!