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Selling

Selling is more about how you listen than what you have to say.

Establish demand by asking the right questions then make your plans their idea.

Identify triggers and pain points as foundations for building a valuable proposition for instigating action. The key is blending attunement, buoyancy, and clarity - the new ABCs of selling in a world of informed buyers. Aim to take the high road of integrity and problem-solving rather than manipulative tactics. With practice, these habits can make anyone more effective at selling and persuading others.

Practice​

Pitch with questions, rhymes, and email subject lines that engage. Hone your improvisational skills to handle unexpected situations and objections.

Develop your attunement skills:

  • Practice perspective-taking and seeing things from the other person's point of view.
  • Understand and empathise with frustrations and needs of the Job to be Done to qualify and quantify demand.
  • Use reflective listening to understand the other person's perspective and build a trusted connection.
  • Be aware of mimicry - subtly mirror the other person's mannerisms and language to build rapport.
  • Hone your social cartography skills to read the dynamics in a room.

Cultivate buoyancy to stay afloat in the face of rejection:

  • Prepare yourself mentally before sales encounters.
  • Maintain an optimistic explanatory style, especially after rejections.

Bring clarity by curating information and solving problems:

  • Distil information to make sense of it for the customer.
  • Identify problems the customer may not even realize they have.

Aim to be an ambivert - balance extroversion and introversion:

  • Adapt your style situationally, knowing when to speak up and when to listen.
  • Most people fall in the middle of the introvert-extrovert spectrum, which is ideal for sales

Focus on serving others rather than just making the sale:

  • Genuinely try to improve the customer's life in some way.
  • Adopt the mindset that if you're not making someone's life a little better, you're doing it wrong.

Sell the Journey​

Make your audience the hero of your stories.

Everyone wants to play their part in a great story. Your job is to provide the right cues to act.

Do Your Research

Thoroughly research the decision makers before meeting. What journey are they on?

  • Understand their investment thesis
  • Research portfolio companies, and areas of interest
  • What conditions of capital?

Target the Audience

  • Focus on engaging directly with partners and managing partners, as they have the most influence over investment decisions.
  • Avoid spending too much time pitching to associates or principals, who have limited decision-making power.

Prepare a Compelling Story

  • Explain your opportunity clearly in the first 5 minutes.
  • Have a strong, well-designed pitch deck but avoid reading directly from it.
  • Be prepared to discuss your business model, market opportunity, competitive landscape, financials, and team in detail.

Know your Numbers

  • Be ready to discuss key metrics, revenue, burn rate, and financial projections.
  • Have a clear ask in terms of funding amount and use of funds.

Demonstrate Expertise

  • Show deep knowledge of your market, customers, and competition.
  • Be prepared to answer tough questions about all aspects of your business.

Highlight your Team

  • Emphasize the strengths and relevant experience of your founding team.
  • Showcase your ability to recruit and retain top talent.

Be Confident yet Coachable

  • Project confidence in your vision and ability to execute.
  • Be open to feedback and willing to admit what you don't know.

Make it Interactive

  • Encourage questions throughout your pitch.
  • Use the meeting as a chance to evaluate the VC as well.

Practice Extensively

  • Rehearse your pitch multiple times, ideally with experienced mentors.

Follow up Effectively

  • Send a thank you note after the meeting.
  • Provide any additional information promised during the pitch.

Build Relationships

  • Approach fundraising as a long-term relationship-building process.
  • Stay in touch with VCs even if they don't invest immediately.

Engineer systems and develop assets that streamline the process from triggering interest to proving the value of your customer's first win.

Mantra

Sell the journey, not the destination