Listen on Apple or Spotify
Hi Reader,
I was in Vancouver, BC two weeks ago, where I led a session for Acetech’s Founder Growth Program and then ran a fun networking event for all the members. The main topic was moving from founder led sales to growing a team and increasing sales. I got tons of comments about how helpful the information was.
Then I snuck away for a long weekend in Tofino. Got back to a ton of email and loads of things that needed to be done. A bit overwhelming and I’m still catching up.
Notes from a Female Founder
There is always too much to do. It’s a fact we must face. Especially if we are going to successfully take time completely away from the business. We all need to stop thinking, “How am I going to get this all done?” and start thinking, “Who can help me do this?” and “Does it all really need to be done?”
These are our lessons as female founders. We often try to do too much at work and at home. Let’s all start thinking, “Who can help me?”
Sales Sharpenher
When you are moving from founder led sales to building a team, you are thinking, “Who can do sales?” Most immediately go to, who can I hire who already knows sales?
Thinking “Who” is the right start but sometimes we miss looking internally and the best people might already be on your team. That is what Abby realized. She was my guest this week on Sales Talk for CEOs.
But before you find anyone else to sell, you need to get ready to have someone in the sales seat. Here’s what to do.
- Document your sales process. You may not think it is a process but from the time a prospect agrees to talk to you to closing the deal, onboarding and retention, document what you and your current team members do. AI is a big help with this.
- Record your sales calls and save your email messages, the ones that worked. These are great for training. Don’t think a salesperson is going to come in and know what to do. You’re going to need to train them. The recording will be helpful.
- Find the right person. Find someone your customers want to talk to. They want to talk to you because your title is Founder and CEO. That opens doors. Their title will be some version of sales rep so they better be knowledgeable and trustworthy, so your prospects want to talk to them. Hiring from the outside might be the answer, but sometimes your bestseller is already on your team.
Once you have a sales team your role in sales will change, but you will still have one. You’ll need to train your team to leverage you when they need you most. You’ll have time back to run your company and breathe.
This week’s conversation
Abby Schlatter was steering her company through a major transformation when her husband, also her co-founder, needed major heart surgery. Add family responsibilities of her parents needing help to move on top of that, and she was carrying it all but knew she needed to ask for help.
Abby and her husband bootstrapped commonFont, a technology consulting firm, from the ground up. We discussed how your earliest customers are your foundation and how your best sellers may already be on your team.
👉 Listen to the episode - and forward it to a founder who is carrying a lot right now.
On LinkedIn this week
My favorite tip for the Acetech founders was to use the power in the room. The founders who have already built a GTM team are your best teachers.
👉 Read my LinkedIn post
To Your Sales Success,
Alice
P.S. Remember my tip to use the power in the room? That’s what Revenue + Real Life™ is. It’s a room of female founder CEOs who get the weight you’re carrying. If you are leading an AI, technology or innovative company, hit reply to request your invitation to join our community, or learn more at www.revenueandreallife.com
Unsubscribe · Preferences