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If you are bright(ish) you can figure almost all of the needed skills with a bit of reading and practice. I taught myself everything I needed to make a success

If you are bright(ish) you can figure almost all of the needed skills with a bit of reading and practice. I taught myself everything I needed to make a success of my business from software development, devops, accounting, tax, marketing, sales, etc. Sure I made more than a few mistakes, but I didn’t run across anything insurmountable. Sales is an interesting skill. People will buy from pretty bad sales people if the sales person is a) knowledgeable and b) genuine. As a founder you should be both so as long as you get out and meet potential clients (or pick up the phone) you will sell as well as any skilled sales person. The skill that good professional sales people have is selling when they don’t know or care about the product. Don’t ever think you can't be an effective sales person for the company you founded and built. Every founder can sell as long as they try.

vram22 9y ago
Great and inspiring comment. Thank you.
maxsilver 9y ago
Do you have any tips or starting point suggestions for someone who is technical, but otherwise ignorant to marketing/sales? How would someone learn sales?
- danieltillett 9y ago
  Worry about sales before marketing. It is very easy to snow yourself that marketing is helping when a lot of the time it is just ego building - "look Ma we are on Cruchbase". Sales is really a numbers games. Almost everybody you talk to says no (and often very rudely), but if your product has any value (and sometimes even when it doesn't) someone will say yes. Set a target per day of approaches and don't stop until you reach it. On the actual sales pitch try to not to overwhelm the potential customers with information (I still do this). You should aim to be listening 60% of the time and talking 40% of the time. Record your pitches so you can review where you went wrong and time how much you are talking. If you are the founder and built the product you should be able to wing the pitch (it will be more genuine if you do), but roleplay out your pitches with someone you feel comfortable with. What can really work well here is to write a whole lot of scenarios for the other person and have them pull one out at random and use for you to practice against. Each time you come across a new objection or blocking point then added it to the roleplay list. The most important thing is to just grind through it. Sales is hard and unpleasant (nobody likes being rejected), but the more you do the better you will get at it. Set aside a time every day to do it and just do it.
BerislavLopac 9y ago
> If you are bright(ish) you can figure almost all of the needed skills with a bit of reading and practice. Fair point, but one should beware the survivor's bias. I've seen so many people who have won the talent genetic lottery, and practising something they're talented for seems so natural and easy to them, and they can't understand why would others have trouble with the same.

vram22 9y ago

Great and inspiring comment. Thank you.

maxsilver 9y ago

Do you have any tips or starting point suggestions for someone who is technical, but otherwise ignorant to marketing/sales? How would someone learn sales?

danieltillett 9y ago
Worry about sales before marketing. It is very easy to snow yourself that marketing is helping when a lot of the time it is just ego building - "look Ma we are on Cruchbase". Sales is really a numbers games. Almost everybody you talk to says no (and often very rudely), but if your product has any value (and sometimes even when it doesn't) someone will say yes. Set a target per day of approaches and don't stop until you reach it. On the actual sales pitch try to not to overwhelm the potential customers with information (I still do this). You should aim to be listening 60% of the time and talking 40% of the time. Record your pitches so you can review where you went wrong and time how much you are talking. If you are the founder and built the product you should be able to wing the pitch (it will be more genuine if you do), but roleplay out your pitches with someone you feel comfortable with. What can really work well here is to write a whole lot of scenarios for the other person and have them pull one out at random and use for you to practice against. Each time you come across a new objection or blocking point then added it to the roleplay list. The most important thing is to just grind through it. Sales is hard and unpleasant (nobody likes being rejected), but the more you do the better you will get at it. Set aside a time every day to do it and just do it.

BerislavLopac 9y ago

> If you are bright(ish) you can figure almost all of the needed skills with a bit of reading and practice. Fair point, but one should beware the survivor's bias. I've seen so many people who have won the talent genetic lottery, and practising something they're talented for seems so natural and easy to them, and they can't understand why would others have trouble with the same.