selling your vision
In this post I will give my few cents about selling vision. Especially when working in sales at a startup or being a founder in one, challenging status quo and selling a better world is crucial. And that is also why often replicating the initial success in sales pitch done by founders can be hard. I have seen and heard that in many companies the founders are still the best salespeople. Replicating the success to the growing sales organisation can be challenging. Feels familiar? Read further…
“But that is not how we do things.”
“In our business this is the way you need to do it.”
“It does not work here.”
Have you in sales or as a founder of a company often found yourself hearing comments and answers like the ones above? I bet you have. Especially if you are launching a new business with a new idea. You have entered the point where old meets new. Where challenging status quo meets the current world. Enjoy, it is one of the most enjoyable part of sales when selling something new.
In general people are not that willing to change. We like our routines, the less decisions we need to per day, the more we have mental capacity for something else. Somewhere is stated that people only change when the pain becomes unbearable. A bit harsh but nevertheless, when selling new ideas and working with startups you are selling something new. You are selling change. And that is why it’s both challenging and rewarding.
So, understanding why one needs to change they need to understand that the world is not ready, the status quo is incomplete and that it possesses missed opportunity. Or even in worst case a threat if you don’t change. This logic of course is behind the structure most pitch decks have and the number one question you ask when evaluating a startup – “What problem does it solve?”
And to cut some corners – this goes back again to the question I touched in former post also: “What is it that we are selling?” When you sell something new, a new idea, you need to sell the vision.
Getting people to understand and agree on how the world will and needs to change from now, will be the most important Yes you need when pitching the idea. Again, it is not about product. It is about finding people who believe in what you believe in. Colleagues, clients, investors and partners who share your vision.
“What you do is just proof of what you believe” -Simon Sinek
This is easier and more natural when you have been part of the founding team from day one. Because often at that part of the journey you do not even have a product.
Are you a founder that wonders why replicating your sales success to the growing sales organization is hard? This is often one part of the issue. Your story is still the story selling your vision. But is the same story your growing organisation is selling?
When you grow your product and solution easily starts to hog the attention. It gets shinier and it has new features. It is more tempting to discuss about product than about vision. New salespeople might not be entrepreneurial, they are used to pitching in the existing world. With an existing product.
That is when you might find yourself getting comments like:
“Yeah, a solid solution but it is not how we do things here.”
“To make that work for us now you have to change this and that to adapt in our market”
That is when you need to be careful and separate useful feedback from feedback that appears when people are not selling or understanding your vision. Because you are selling a journey. A better future. Now is just a starting line.
People around me have heard me saying many times: “But I am not interested how things are now, I am interested in how they could be.”
Agree, sometimes frustrated, and provoked but nonetheless – with passion. I love to take on the status quo and believe that world is not ready.
What do you think? Have you stories or experiences related? Share us your thoughts.