Having a groundbreaking product or idea will only get you so far. One key factor that often determines the fate of a start-up is the founder’s ability to sell. Founders who understand the art of selling can effectively lead the sales function, paving the way for successful market penetration and most importantly, revenue growth.
The Importance of founder-led sales
The initial sales efforts of a SaaS start-up are more than just revenue generation; they serve as a crucial learning phase. While developing an innovative product is essential, knowing how to bring it to market is equally critical.
Founder-led sales provide invaluable insights through direct interactions with potential customers. These interactions reveal objections, feedback, and nuances that shape the product roadmap.
Many founders I speak to are initially tempted to build a sales team before they’re ready. But it’s definitely walk before you can run here.
Before handing over the reins, founders should strive to achieve repeatability in their sales process. Repeatability involves securing a specific number of clients who have bought the product or service for the same use case. This process is instrumental in understanding the target audience, refining the product-market fit, and establishing a foundation for sustainable growth.
Additionally, founders should recognise that fundraising through a VC also involves selling – selling the vision, potential, and capability of the start-up. Investors look for founders who not only have a great product, or engineering skills for example, but also possess the ability to sell and drive the initial traction.
A backward sales plan for strategic growth
Creating a backward sales plan is a vital aspect of the founder’s journey into sales leadership. This plan helps in understanding target revenue, average contract value (ACV), and the number of customers needed to achieve the key goals.
By breaking down the sales process into daily, weekly, and monthly activities, founders can focus on the essential tasks required for sustainable growth.
The backward sales plan will also help you to create day-to-day activities that contribute to achieving that target, instead of fixating on a revenue target. Understanding how many leads are needed, the conversion rates, and the required sales qualified leads sets the foundation for an effective sales strategy.
Steps to leading the sales function
As founders transition into leading the sales function, several key steps can ensure success:
1. Identify the target audience
- Define the ideal customer profile (ICP) and buyer personas.
- Start small with prospecting and create a targeted prospecting list.
2. Develop a multichannel approach
- Utilise tools like LinkedIn, email automation and sequencing along with phone and video for a comprehensive outreach strategy.
- Create a structured multichannel approach to target potential customers effectively.
3. Qualify and disqualify opportunities
- Develop the ability to identify genuine opportunities and disqualify those that do not align with the target criteria.
- Understand the importance of qualification and disqualification at different stages of the sales process.
4. Don’t underestimate the discovery phase
- Conduct thorough discovery to uncover business pain and challenges.
- Develop a clear discovery framework to guide conversations and set the stage for the sales process.
5. Build strong relationships
- Focus on building rapport and human relationships with prospects.
- Sell on value rather than simply pitching the product or solution.
6. Sell a meeting, not just a product
- Shift the mindset from selling a product to selling a meeting.
- Concentrate on securing a meeting first, as it opens the door for further exploration and discovery.
Tools to Facilitate the Sales Process
Several tools can aid founders in their sales endeavours:
1. LinkedIn and LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Leverage LinkedIn’s network as a database for professional connections.
- Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator for creating lists, following individuals, and gaining insights into companies.
2. Data enrichment tools
- Tools including like Lusha, Apollo, and Cognism can help you obtain contact details.
- Enhance customer data to enable more targeted and personalised outreach.
3. CRM systems
- Implement CRM systems like HubSpot with cadence features for structured prospecting.
- Leverage CRM tools to manage and track interactions with prospects throughout the sales process.
4. Conversational intelligence tools
- Explore tools like Gong or Jiminy to analyse and improve communication during sales calls.
- Record calls and gain insights into language usage, engagement, and effectiveness.
The buying process alignment
You can’t sell effectively if you don’t understand what the client’s the buying process. Knowing this is as important as implementing a structured sales process. Matching the sales stages to the customer’s decision-making journey guarantees that expectations are properly set. Identifying where potential customers are in their decision-making helps prevent premature assumptions and prepares for effective follow-up.
The art of closing sales
Although closing sales is frequently seen as a difficult undertaking, it represents a natural progression when the earlier phases are carried out successfully. By focusing on discovery, building relationships, and aligning with the buyer’s journey, the closing phase turns into a smooth transition. Founders should treat closing as a step that follows a well-executed sales process rather than a standalone tactic.
Measuring success and continuous improvement
Key metrics and tracking mechanisms are essential for evaluating the success of the sales strategy. Monitoring pipeline velocity, analysing drop-off rates, calculating conversion rates, and keeping a close eye on pipeline metrics provide valuable insights for improvement. The most effective sales-led founders I’ve seen have managed to continuously leverage data to optimise their sales process.
Sales success to lead to a transition away from founder-led sales
I work with startups every day and for SaaS startups to thrive, founders knowing how to sell is not just a nice to have, it’s strategically essential.
By mastering the art of selling, founders can lead their startups to sustainable growth, secure funding, and position themselves as leaders in the industry. As the journey from founder-led sales to a dedicated sales team unfolds, the lessons learned in the early stages will continue to shape your success – and will help you to manage a growing sales function more effectively.
Author: Matthew Codd
I’m Matthew, I have 15 years of commercial leadership experience, helping VC-backed B2B technology companies scale revenue and transition from founder-led sales.
I use my experience to help early-stage start-ups with GTM expertise, sales best practice, and hiring insights.
I co-founded Cosmic Partners in 2022. We are SaaS sales recruitment specialists for VC backed B2B tech companies.
