Sales & Customer Development
Talking to customers and selling honestly.
18 posts · Money & Business
- 1
Selling for Founders Who Hate Selling: A Calm Start
If the word sales makes you cringe, you are not broken. Learn the calm, honest way technical founders sell and talk to customers without fooling yourself.
- 2
Why Founders Must Learn to Sell (And Why It's Learnable)
Selling makes most founders uncomfortable. Here's why founder-led sales can't be outsourced early, and how to learn it even if you're a shy introvert.
- 3
Customer Development: Get Out of the Building
Customer Development means testing your startup idea with real conversations before you build. Learn how to get out of the building and find real demand.
- 4
The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers Without Fooling Yourself
The Mom Test shows you how to talk to customers so you learn the truth, not polite lies. Ask about their life and past, never your idea. Here's how.
- 5
How to Ask Sales Questions Without Leading the Answer
Leading questions get you a fake yes and the wrong product. Learn how to ask sales questions without leading, so you surface truth you can build on.
- 6
Active Listening for Founders: Sell by Shutting Up
Hate selling? The best sales skill is active listening. Learn the talk-to-listen ratio, mirroring, and labeling to make buyers reveal what they really need.
- 7
Discovery Call Guide: How to Run One Start to Finish
Learn how to run a great discovery call start to finish: a 30-minute map, the questions to ask, when to pitch, and how to lock a real next step.
- 8
SPIN, BANT, MEDDIC: Sales Discovery Frameworks Made Simple
A plain-English guide to sales discovery frameworks like SPIN, BANT, and MEDDIC. Learn which questions to ask, when to ask them, and how to close deals.
- 9
Sales Qualifying: How to Choose Who Deserves Your Time
Learn sales qualifying: how to spot good-fit customers fast, say no kindly, and stop wasting hours on leads who will never buy. A founder's field guide.
- 10
How to Demo Your Product Without Overselling It
Learn how to demo your product the right way: discovery first, show the outcome, keep it short, and answer honestly. A founder's guide to a winning demo.
- 11
How to Handle Sales Objections Without Lying or Arguing
Learn how to handle sales objections with honesty using a calm five-step method. Turn pushback like 'too expensive' into a real path toward yes.
- 12
Hearing "No": How to Turn Rejection Into Learning
A sales "no" is data, not damage. Learn how to turn rejection into learning, ask for the real reason, and find the pattern that quietly improves every pitch.
- 13
Founder-Led Outreach: How to Get the First Conversations
Founder-led outreach is how you book your first sales conversations by hand. Learn warm intros, cold email that works, and follow-ups that don't nag.
- 14
How to Close a Sale Without Feeling Pushy
Learn how to close a sale without feeling pushy. Use trial closes, plain asks, silence, and paid pilots to turn conversations into real commitments.
- 15
Founder-Led Sales: Turn Selling Into a Daily Habit
Founder-led sales is a muscle, not a talent. Learn the simple pipeline, the numbers to track, and a 30-day plan to make selling a reliable daily habit.
- 16
Sales & Customer Development Glossary: 30 Terms, Plain English
A plain-English sales and customer development glossary. Learn ICP, BANT, MEDDIC, churn, the Mom Test, and 25 more terms you'll use in real conversations.
- 17
Selling for Founders: Honest Answers to 13 Real Fears
Anxious about selling as a founder? Get plain answers on introvert selling, customer interviews, handling no, and when to hire a salesperson.
- 18
The 5-Minute Customer Call Cheat Sheet That Saves Deals
A one-page customer call cheat sheet to skim before any sales or discovery call. The Mom Test, SPIN, objection handling, and closing lines that actually work.