4 ms·

I experienced exactly the same story in the startup I worked for. Selling software to big enterprises is a kind of science: finding the right people to talk to,

• acgourley 18y ago
  You call it a science but I think its more of an art. Enterprise sales requires experienced sales staff... I wonder how many young scrappy technology driven start ups have failed for this reason. I know that I never hear good things about the enterprise software from successful enterprise companies, so it seems like the technology is not the deciding factory of company success. I almost wonder if a company that is too technology focused is at a competitive disadvantage.
  • webwright 18y ago
    "Enterprise sales requires experienced sales staff" I've seen enterprise software companies with a barely-graduated team of phone sales people kick ass, FWIW. Totally depends on the complexity of the product and whether there is a services component.
    • davi 18y ago
      Are you saying a services component helps, or hinders the sale? I could see it going either way, depending on the product and the customer.
      • webwright 18y ago
        I think it depends. In general, I think selling services is strangely easier than selling just a product. Products often represent "work" - the buyer has to learn about the product, sell it to their team, etc. If you basically say, "we're going to hold your hand at $125/hr every step of the way", it can make the sale easier. Middle manager buyers don't care much about profit. They care about stuff that allows them to work less or look smarter/better/more capable to their peers.