Comments on: Startup Hacker, it’s not the new Technology, it’s the Sales skills that you need to learn next

By: Vipul Snehadeep Chawathe

Vipul Snehadeep Chawathe — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:03:35 +0000

IMHO, a contrast is being made between a CS engineer and a marketing salesperson… Both are different roles and even if a person is trying to fit in each of them at once, time will test how well the person is at each of them on independent instances. One should perhaps guard on being judgmental against the difficulty or ease of either role…

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:56:46 +0000

Wow, learn how to use capital letters please! Nouns do not require them unless at the start of a sentence or a proper noun.

By: Sushil

Sushil — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:00:47 +0000

Good post Aditya! Good luck with your Sales job. I am sure you will do great!

By: Aditya Kothadiya

Aditya Kothadiya — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:41:51 +0000

@julian Absolutely right. Enterprise sales is comparatively tough one. Especially if we are “young”, and trying to sell, then the outlook of those customers is quite different. We need extra effort to make them believe in us and bring them at a common ground. There are some basic etiquettes that we also need to follow, as they are taken granted in Sales world, but can be new to us.

@ALx, I think the best way to learn Sales is when you have something to sell. It need not be your full blown Enterprise startup. I started with selling stuff from my Sisters’ clothing and art business. I’m also reading some sales and marketing blogs. My mentor also gave me some sales coaching. So this helped me to get to basic level. Now, I’ll learn it more once I practice it more into the battlefield.

By: ALx

ALx — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:15:58 +0000

Very good post.
What would you recommand for a CS student to learn those Sales skills ? ( I dont study in an American university, I can’t pick my classes, therefore I cant take Sales classes ).
Any books / method / advice ? Thanks

By: julian_Zopim.com

julian_Zopim.com — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:46:18 +0000

I totally agree with your blog post. Sales is like KungFu, there are some fundamentals you have to learn. However, in the real world, you have to flexible enough to alternate your pitch to different audiences.

As a young startup, we are still learning and we realize that there’s actually alot to learn especially for Enterprise sales. Lots of unhidden laws and things to look out for.

By: Aditya Kothadiya

Aditya Kothadiya — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:21:58 +0000

@Promise, I absolutely agree with your point that the best case is when we start selling before we even have our venture. That’s how Bill Gates sold their OS to IBM .

By: Promise

Promise — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:19:40 +0000

You know, I regularly glance at your blog and this one caught my eye. You’re right, selling is an important skill in these times. I’m someone who enjoys identifying and delivering value to a customer or prospect; it can be quite exhilarating. I would say that one skill that sales people, engineers and … well, all of us needs is the ability to understand the dynamics of a market and the customers in it before we enter. Who are the customers? What are the pains? What is the cost if those pains aren’t met? **WHY?** Well, the goal is not the sale–the goal is a profitable customer who stays, says great things and recruits others. And, most loyal customers are found and don’t just happen. I completely agree with your point that the target is moving, I think it needs to start before one even starts a new venture–what if we spent more time understanding the market dynamics and the customer before we even started talking about engineering or selling?