“Business people shaking hands in agreement” – RawPixel on Flickr – CC BY
Sales are, of course, critical for any startup. Especially for early-stage startups, it’s up to the founder(s) to determine product-market fit and map a sales strategy through, what else? Selling.
But founders aren’t always comfortable selling assertively. They may have their own negative perception of sales people, and thus are reluctant to come off as “sales-y”. Founders may also be so personally invested in their product/solution that they may have developed a fixed mindset as a defense mechanism against criticism or flaws, which disinclines them to be an a position where they might face rejection.
Founders of ed tech startups may have additional reasons to have concerns about selling assertively. Oftentimes they are pitching to highly educated individuals who are trained to thinking critically and analytically. These are people who purposefully embraced the mission of a non-profit organization, and may approach any corporate offering with significant skepticism.
But it is possible to sell assertively and authentically, even for founders who aren’t naturally comfortable doing so. Here are 4 suggestions for startup founders who personally struggle with internal feelings arising from selling:
1. Don’t focus on the customer’s perception of you (i.e. as sales-y), focus on your passion for helping the customer solve a problem. Authenticity owns perception.
2. Don’t focus on your product or company at all (at first), focus on the customer. A legitimate understanding of the customer’s problems in their context should naturally lead to your solution. If it doesn’t, take note* and move on.
3. Don’t be self-conscious about imperfections in your solution: Many weaknesses in your product/solution can only be addressed through the learnings you will glean from customer adoption. (It’s OK for customers to understand this, too.)
4. Don’t be shy about driving a deal to close: The only way you can help your customer is if they choose to formally adopt your solution. The sooner they adopt, the sooner you can make a positive impact on (at least one corner of) the world.
As someone who is a chronic self-doubter and has always been reticent of coming off as sales-y, I’ve applied these 4 ideas until they have become habits. Over time, habits trump inclinations, and you’ll find yourself increasingly comfortable assertively selling.
Those are just my ideas. What about you?
Are you self-conscious about sales? If so will these suggestions help?
Or perhaps you were once self-conscious but aren’t any more. If so, what caused you to change?
Maybe you’ve never been self-conscious about sales. What mindset do you hold that makes selling straight-forward?
*Repeated rejection should be examined, as it may mean you’re doing a poor job engaging with customers and representing the value, or your product/solution is a poor fit for the target customers’ needs. In either case, a pivot may be in order — in your methodology, your segment strategy, or your product strategy.