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I'm not sure how I feel about the post implying that every startup needs a salesperson in order to succeed.

by quizbiz 17y ago

ghshephard 17y ago
I thought the need for sales (and therefore, a salesperson) was the most important element of the post. If you don't have revenue, you go out of business. Period. The salesperson might be the CEO, the VP of Marketing, or even an outgoing CTO - but each and every day, someone needs to be chasing down a source of revenue, talking to customers, and figuring out how, one day, the company is actually going to make revenue - and feed that information back into whoever your "product manager" is. If you wait for year two or three, after you've built a great technology, it may be too late to discover that your customer doesn't want to buy what you've been building.
mediaman 17y ago
I agree completely with ghshepard. Presuming it's not some sort of consumer play, if one of the founders is not good at sales, you'd sure as hell better (1) learn to sell and/or (2) bring in sales talent. Preferably #1 before #2. The absolute worst mistake you can make is focusing on a fancy technology without bringing in dollars. Look at the way a typical company runs. They spend huge sums of money on third-rate products, many of which have a superior alternative available. Why didn't they buy the better product? Why do vendors with clearly inferior products get the sales dollars that a vendor with a better product doesn't? It's because the vendor with a good sales team gets the product to the customer, and the fact is that a mind-blowing offering will not get bought unless there's some guy getting that customer to buy that product. If you can combine a fantastic product with a great sales team, watch out. But if you've got a great product but aren't selling early, don't look for a technical solution out of a business problem.
bjelkeman-again 17y ago
I, for one, do not start a company these days without a sales person onboard, and it better be a great one. Sale of product rarely happens by itself, you need someone who is passionate about getting those deals set up. The hard part is finding a sales person who also truly believes in your product and gels with the team. I have worked with some awful sales people, who even when they sell can be terrible for your company (often selling the wrong thing). The first sales person in your organisation, I believe, should not be paid commission, but be paid just like the rest of the founders and have a long term interest in the company.
rjurney 17y ago
Most startups fail because they fail to connect with a market for their product. If you don't need salespeople to connect with your market - good for you!

I'm not sure how I feel about the post implying that every startup needs a salesperson in order to succeed.

by quizbiz 17y ago

I'm not sure how I feel about the post implying that every startup needs a salesperson in order to succeed.

I thought the need for sales (and therefore, a salesperson) was the most important element of the post. If you don't have revenue, you go out of business. Period. The salesperson might be the CEO, the VP of Marketing, or even an outgoing CTO - but each and every day, someone needs to be chasing down a source of revenue, talking to customers, and figuring out how, one day, the company is actually going to make revenue - and feed that information back into whoever your "product manager" is. If you wait for year two or three, after you've built a great technology, it may be too late to discover that your customer doesn't want to buy what you've been building.

mediaman 17y ago

I agree completely with ghshepard. Presuming it's not some sort of consumer play, if one of the founders is not good at sales, you'd sure as hell better (1) learn to sell and/or (2) bring in sales talent. Preferably #1 before #2. The absolute worst mistake you can make is focusing on a fancy technology without bringing in dollars. Look at the way a typical company runs. They spend huge sums of money on third-rate products, many of which have a superior alternative available. Why didn't they buy the better product? Why do vendors with clearly inferior products get the sales dollars that a vendor with a better product doesn't? It's because the vendor with a good sales team gets the product to the customer, and the fact is that a mind-blowing offering will not get bought unless there's some guy getting that customer to buy that product. If you can combine a fantastic product with a great sales team, watch out. But if you've got a great product but aren't selling early, don't look for a technical solution out of a business problem.

bjelkeman-again 17y ago

I, for one, do not start a company these days without a sales person onboard, and it better be a great one. Sale of product rarely happens by itself, you need someone who is passionate about getting those deals set up. The hard part is finding a sales person who also truly believes in your product and gels with the team. I have worked with some awful sales people, who even when they sell can be terrible for your company (often selling the wrong thing). The first sales person in your organisation, I believe, should not be paid commission, but be paid just like the rest of the founders and have a long term interest in the company.

rjurney 17y ago

Most startups fail because they fail to connect with a market for their product. If you don't need salespeople to connect with your market - good for you!