I am thinking of writing a series on technology sales, given that selling is my first functional love and I enjoy it more than anything else. (There, I admit it, and yes, more than development even though I am an “engineer” by education). So the next few posts will be focused exclusively on selling for entrepreneurs. Yesterday I had a friend who came over to get some advice on his startup. 6...
Does your customer know what you are talking about?
Let us face it, technology startups are often founded by geeks, employ geeks and hence are, more often than not, geekdoms. There is tremendous value in it. However, there is a significant downside to this as it relates to communication. Geeks speak geekspeak and unfortunately that is all the customers hear a lot of times. This is a HUGE mistake. Never forget who you are in the business for. It...
Just open the door for me, I can close the sale
In the course of my career, I can’t remember how many times I have heard some version of this phrase from entrepreneurs. In fact, there is a thriving industry that has grown to service exactly this need: door openers that use their connections to get warm introductions to companies for a retainer and a commission. Even with that, why is it that most startups fail for lack of sales? Is it because...