How We Approach Founder-Led Enterprise Sales: A 7-Step Guide
- CEO at DeckLinks, Speaker, Podcast Host
- Published on August 5, 2024
- Updated on September 4, 2024
Table of Contents
You’ve launched your startup. You’ve built a great product. You’ve got individual users. Small businesses love you. But those big enterprise deals? You can’t close them, no matter how hard you try.
We’ve been there. At DeckLinks, we faced this exact challenge. We had a solid base of users and SMB clients, but cracking the enterprise sales puzzle felt really really difficult.
But here’s what we’ve learned after years and years of trial and error: as a startup founder, you’re the best person to make those enterprise sales. Yes, you. Not an experienced sales rep you think you need to hire. You.
Why? Because founder-led sales is fundamentally different from traditional sales, especially before you find product-market fit in the enterprise space.
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through the founder-led enterprise sales strategy that works for us. I’ll share everything from prospecting to counterintuitive lessons our team picked up along the way.
| Stage | Key Action | Common Mistake | Founder Advantage | Tool/Resource |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospecting | Define enterprise sales hypothesis | Targeting too broadly | Deep product knowledge | LinkedIn Sales Navigator |
| Outreach | Personalize cold emails | Generic mass emails | Authentic founder story | DeckLinks for video pitches. Lavender to write emails. |
| First Contact | Ask probing questions | Talking too much | Genuine curiosity about problems | Prepared question list |
| Demo | Tailor to specific pain points | Feature overload | Ability to adapt product | Custom demo environments |
| Pricing | Understand client's budget | Underpricing | Flexibility in pricing models | Value-based pricing calculator |
| Negotiation | Focus on value, not just price | Giving in too quickly | Authority to make decisions | ROI case studies |
| Closing | Navigate procurement process | Assuming deal is done after verbal agreement | Direct line to technical team | Simplified legal templates |
| Implementation | Take ownership of process | Leaving it to the client | Ability to prioritize feature requests | AirTable for project management |
PDF Documents Tracking
Identify the most engaged viewers and understand how they interact with your PDF presentations and documents. Learn more.
Why Startup Founders Should Do Enterprise Sales
Let’s talk about why you, as a founder, should be doing enterprise sales. Especially in the early stages.
Sales is the lifeblood of any startup. When we started our first company BriefBid back in 2018, we quickly realized that our ability to generate revenue would make or break the company’s growth. Without sales, you’re just burning through cash and hoping for a miracle. But many founders shy away from sales, thinking it’s not their forte. Big mistake!
I know many startup founders do not have experience in enterprise sales but here’s the thing: sales is a learnable skill. I promise. My co-founders, Kevin and Ravil, are both technical and creative. They could build amazing products, but selling? That was a bit out of their comfort zone. But through trial and error, we figured it out together. This brings me to my first big lesson for you: if you’re an early stage startup founder building a product for other businesses, you are capable of selling it.
Not only that but you’re probably the only person capable of selling your product. Why? Because founder-led sales is fundamentally different from traditional sales, especially before you find product market fit. It requires vision, credibility, and close communication with your product team. This is where startup founders excel.
Many first time startup founders try to hire a sales rep. Don’t. Trust me, I’ve been there. Sales before product market fit is about experimentation and adapting quickly. That’s not something you can easily outsource. Don’t hire sales reps until you figure out the enterprise sales process yourself.
For my technical founders out there, you actually have some unique advantages in enterprise sales:
- Expertise in the problem and product: You know your solution inside and out. You understand the pain points you’re addressing better than anyone else. This deep product knowledge is invaluable in sales conversations.
- Genuine conviction: You believe in your product. This isn’t just a job for you. It’s your mission. That passion and conviction come through in sales calls, and it’s incredibly persuasive.
This is why hiring an experienced sales rep right away often backfires. Unfortunately, we made this mistake several times, which was very painful and costly for both our bank account and team morale. Generally, sales reps are used to selling established products with clear value propositions. But in the early days, you’re still figuring things out. You need someone who can handle the uncertainty and ambiguity. You need someone cares. That someone is you!
Remember, if you can’t sell your own product, it’s unlikely anyone else can either. Sales reps may convince you during the interview that they will be able to sell your pre-PMF solution but trust me, chances are, you will waste your time and money. At the early stages, just do it yourself! It might feel uncomfortable at first, but I promise you’ll get better with practice.
I’ve seen technical founders, much to their surprise, turn out to be fantastic at enterprise sales. Why? Because at its core, closing deals isn’t about tricks or smooth talking. It’s about deeply understanding a customer’s problem and helping them solve it. And isn’t that exactly what great engineers do?
RELATED POST
Written by Duane M. Dufault
Step #1. Define Enterprise Sales Hypothesis.
Before you start chasing enterprise clients, you need a clear enterprise sales hypothesis. It’s your roadmap for prospecting. Without it, you’ll be wasting your time.
Our first attempts at enterprise sales were a mess. We thought our sales success with SMBs would translate directly to the enterprise market. We were so naive.
We wasted months pitching to anyone with a C title at a large company. Our message was all over the place. One day we’d focus on productivity gains, the next on cost savings. We were throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping something would stick.
Silence and a few “we’ll get back to you” responses. No deals closed. It was very frustrating and demoralizing.
So we stepped back to really define our enterprise sales hypothesis. We spent months getting to know our successful SMB clients better, talking to founder-led sales teams, doing tons of research online, and debating internally. Finally, we cracked it.
Your enterprise sales hypothesis should be specific to customer needs. It’s not just about who might buy your product. It’s about who has the problem you’re solving at an enterprise level.
Here’s why it matters: a good enterprise sales hypothesis makes prospecting easy. It tells you exactly who you should be talking to in large organizations. Without it, you’ll waste time on prospects who don’t need your solution.
Remember, your initial sales process hypothesis isn’t set in stone. As you start your sales conversations with enterprise prospects, you’ll gain valuable insights. Use that feedback to refine your enterprise sales hypothesis. It’s an iterative process, and that’s okay.
So, before you jump into prospecting, take a step back. Craft a clear, specific sales hypothesis for the enterprise market. It’s literally the foundation of your founder-led sales process.
RELATED POST
Written by Ton Dobbe
Step #2. Identify Potential Enterprise Customers.
Once you’ve nailed down your enterprise sales hypothesis, you need to identify potential customers.
When it comes to enterprise sales casting a wide net isn’t always the best approach. Instead, we focused on companies likely to suffer from the problem we were solving. It’s about quality over quantity. Especially in the early stages of your startup.
Here’s a tactic that worked well for us: we got creative with our filtering. We used tools like SimilarTech, BuiltWith, and SimilarWeb to identify companies that use specific tech stacks and integrations. We also used Apollo’s buying intent feature which is also pretty good.
But don’t just rely on these tools though. Do your homework. Look at company websites, press releases, and social media platforms. The more you know about your potential customers, the better equipped you’ll be for sales conversations.
As you’re building your prospecting list, keep your enterprise sales hypothesis in mind. Does this company fit the profile you’ve outlined? Does this person likely have the pain points your product addresses? If not, they probably don’t belong on your list.
In the early days of founder-led sales, it’s tempting to talk to anyone who’ll listen. Resist that urge! Focus on identifying potential customers who actually match your target market. It might mean a smaller list, but it’ll lead to more productive sales calls and as a result more deals.
Remember, this process isn’t just about finding customers. It’s about gaining insights that will refine your go-to-market strategy. Pay attention to patterns. Are certain industries more receptive? Are specific job titles more likely to engage? Document everything. Use these insights to nail your enterprise sales process.
Tools for prospecting enterprise clients
We’ve experimented with many prospecting tools. Three that have worked really well for us: Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and HubSpot. These three puppies work amazingly well together.
Need to talk to the Head of Sales? Apollo can help you find them. Email addresses, phone numbers, additional info. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is like your basic LinkedIn on steroids. We use it to identify decision-makers and to understand the structure of our target companies. But here’s why I like it so much: LinkedIn Sales Navigator shows you how you’re connected to potential prospects. You can see recent company updates and other insights that can warm up your outreach.
For each potential customer, dig deeper. What’s their role? How long have they been at the company? What challenges might they be facing? This extra research pays off in your sales conversations. It allows you to tailor your sales pitch and speak directly to their pain points. I can’t tell you how many times these insights have helped me craft a personalized message that resonated with a prospect.
Here’s a tip that worked well for us: create detailed buyer personas. But don’t just make boring profiles – think of them like Pokemon cards! Complete with traits, stats, and special abilities 😀 They help you visualize who you’re selling to and what matters to them. We got detailed buyer personas for sales managers, marketing directors, and C-level executives. Each requires a different approach in our enterprise sales strategy.
As you’re building your list, keep track of your findings. Put everything in your CRM.
Remember, this list isn’t static. As you have more sales conversations, you’ll gain insights that might change your target profile. Refine your list based on what you learn.
RELATED POST
Written by Lidia Vijga
Step #3. Pick Your Outreach Strategy.
Outreach for founder-led enterprise sales isn’t just about cold calls and cold emails. It’s an art form. At DeckLinks, we focus a lot on inbound lead generation. It’s not instant, but it works for us.
Inbound lead generation
Here’s how you can approach your inbound lead generation strategy:
1. Create SEO optimized content.
Content is king, especially for B2B sales. We focus on creating helpful content for our ICPs that address their pain points. We do our best to SEO optimize the content as well.
But don’t go crazy on SEO optimization. Because at the end of the day, you really need to focus on creating genuinely helpful content that answers the questions of your potential customers. You can artificially push your content to first page of Google with some crazy on-page and off-page SEO optimization but those rankings won’t last long.
What matters is the website visitors engagement. If they click on your article and then quickly bounce back to the search results, that will send signal to Google that your content probably doesn’t satisfy the search intent. So if this will keep happening, your content will get down-ranked.
Helpful content is primary. Technical SEO is secondary. Obviously, you have to do your basic technical SEO but don’t obsess to much over minor details.
2. Build self-serve demos.
If your product allows, you can create interactive demos that potential customers can explore at their own pace. This serves two purposes: it gives prospects a taste of your product without the pressure of a sales call, and it helps qualify leads. Those who engage deeply with the demo are often your hottest prospects. Plus, it’s a great tool for generating a bit of buzz. People love to share cool demos with their network.
Showcase your brand.
Create company profiles with custom banners and info-packages tailored to different industries.
Show your contact info easily accessible by your prospects and clients.
Add custom CTAs to drive prospects or clients to your calendar, sign up form, etc.
Collect feedback from prospects and clients. Feedback and reactions are not publicly visible.
Share any existing PDF presentations and documents.
4x Sales Content Engagement
Record and share Video PDF presentations and proposals and WOW your prospects and clients with the most personal customer experience. Access engagement analytics. Learn more.
Establish authority on LinkedIn
LinkedIn has been working really well for us. It’s not just about posting updates – it’s about establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry. LinkedIn has helped us build a following of potential customers and industry peers. Engage in conversations. Comment on others’ posts, and be genuinely helpful.
I highly recommend you post regularly from your personal account. From what I’m seeing, posts from company accounts don’t get as much engagement (likes, comments, shares) compared to posts done from personal LinkedIn accounts. So, post from your personal account first, then repost from your company account. This way, you can reach a wider audience, as many people will follow both your personal and company accounts.
Remember, generating inbound enterprise sales pipeline is a long game. It takes time and consistency, but the payoff is huge. When potential customers come to you, they’re already interested and often partway through the sales cycle. This makes founder-led enterprise sales much easier and more effective.
Visit industry-specific conferences
Conferences. I know, I know. They can be exhausting. But trust me, going to industry-specific conferences is worth it. Why? Because there’s simply no substitute for face-to-face interactions. Period. But you have to go to the right ones!
Industry-specific conferences are where you can find your target audience. These events have been crucial for our enterprise sales process. But before attending, you always need to do your homework. Get the attendee list in advance and set up as many meetings as possible.
But don’t just attend. Be visible. We’ve found that speaking at these conferences, even on small panels, dramatically increases our visibility. It positions us as experts. Potential customers are more likely to take a meeting with someone they’ve seen on stage.
Let me tell you about one of my favorite conferences – SaaStock. As a bootstrapped SaaS startup founder, I absolutely love SaaStock conference. They do it twice a year: in Austin, TX and in Dublin, Ireland. For me, this conference is mainly about exchanging knowledge with fellow bootstrapped startup founders, rather than finding potential clients.
At SaaStock, I’ve had countless conversations that helped us shape our enterprise sales strategy. We’ve swapped tactics on everything from pricing to closing deals.
But this conference isn’t just about learning – it’s also about connections. It helped us form partnerships, find mentors, and yes, even close some deals.
Remember, in founder-led sales, especially in the early stages, every interaction is an opportunity. Know who you want to meet, what you want to learn, and what value you can offer in return.
Get warm intros with prospective enterprise clients
Before reaching out cold to a prospect, we always check LinkedIn. We’re looking for shared connections. If we find one, that’s our in. We’ll reach out to our mutual contact and ask for an introduction.
The key here is not to just ask for an intro. I make it easy for my connection. I’ll draft a short, punchy email they can forward. This email includes a clear explanation of why I want to connect with the prospect and how I think DeckLinks can help them.
This approach works wonders. A warm intro lends you credibility. When you come recommended by someone the prospect knows and trusts, they’re more likely to give you their time and attention.
But remember, warm intros are a two-way street. We’re always ready to make intros for others in our network too.
So before you start cold outreach, take a step back. Look at your network. Who do you know that could introduce you to your target customers? It might take a bit more time upfront, but trust me, the results are worth it.
Nail cold emails
In my experience, cold emailing is usually the least efficient way of getting prospects’ attention, but it can still be effective if you approach it the right way.
I highly recommend you start by writing each email by hand. I know it sounds time-consuming, but trust me, it’s worth it. This forces you to really think about why you’re reaching out to each specific person. Once you have a few solid examples that are performing well, you can create templates, but always customize them for each prospect.
Keep your emails short and to the point. Your prospects are busy, and their inboxes are probably overflowing. Make your ask clear and concise. I aim for emails that can be read in about 30 seconds.
If you struggle writing effective cold emails, I highly recommend you try Lavender.
Here’s a crucial tip: make it clear why you’re reaching out to each recipient specifically. People have built-in spam filters. And if your email looks like it was sent to thousands of people, it’s going to get deleted. Do your homework. Reference something specific about their company or role.
For example, I might start an email like this:
“Hi [Name],
I noticed [Company] just launched a new product line. With this expansion, I imagine your sales team is dealing with more sales and marketing collateral. At DeckLinks, we’ve helped companies like yours 2x sales materials engagement and content utilization across the entire sales team.”
This shows I’ve done my research and immediately ties our product to a challenge they’re likely facing.
Here’s a handy rule of thumb I always keep in mind: only send emails that you yourself would be excited to read. If you wouldn’t be thrilled to get the email you’re about to send, your prospect probably won’t be either.
Here’s a trick that I always use:
- I create a short sales deck. Five slides max. Keep it punchy.
- I video-narrate that deck using DeckLinks. This way I can show my voice, my passion, my expertise.
- I send this in my cold email follow-up.
You can record a personalized sales deck or share a more generic version that works with the ICP you’re prospecting.
With DeckLinks, you can track engagement. See who’s watching, for how long, which slides grab attention.
This approach humanizes your outreach and identifies your hottest leads. Those who engage? They’re your priority follow-ups.
Remember, in founder-led sales and enterprise sales in general, every touchpoint matters. Your cold emails are often your first impression. Make them count. Craft them carefully, personalize deeply, and always focus on the value you can provide to your prospect.
RELATED POST
Written by Lidia Vijga
Top 3 most common outreach mistakes startup founders make
In the early days of founder-led sales, it’s easy to fall into some common traps. At DeckLinks, we’ve made our fair share of mistakes, but we’ve learned from them. Here are the three biggest mistakes to avoid:
Outreach mistake #1. Talking to anyone who will listen.
When you’re starting out, it’s tempting to talk to anyone who’ll give you the time of day. I know, I know. Cold emailing is a demoralizing grind, and it feels good when someone responds. But here’s the problem: this approach selects for people who are easiest to talk to, not those who’ll be great customers.
I personally fell into this trap many times. I’d get excited about any sales conversation or positive response, even if the person wasn’t in our target market. But all those conversations did was give me the illusion of progress. They didn’t lead to sales or valuable insights.
Remember, your time is precious. Focus on talking to people who fit your enterprise sales hypothesis and your ideal customer profile. It might mean fewer conversations, but they’ll be much more productive.
Outreach mistake #2. Focusing on startups for enterprise products.
This is a classic mistake, especially for B2B startups. We started by trying to sell to other startups because they were easier to reach. But if your product solves a problem that companies only have when they get big, selling to startups is a waste of time.
At DeckLinks, we realized our sales enablement platform was most valuable to companies with established sales teams. Startups often didn’t have the scale to get all of the benefits out our product. They could use it to track their sales and marketing collateral but they don’t get full benefit of having centralized content management platform. Once we shifted our focus to larger companies, our sales process became much more effective.
Outreach mistake #3. Bottom-up approach for top-down products.
This one’s tricky. There’s a lot of buzz about bottom-up sales strategies, but they don’t work for every product. We thought we could land and expand. Start with individual users, prove our value proposition, and work our way up to a company-wide deal. Sounds great in theory. In practice? Not so much.
Here’s what we learned: some products just need top-down adoption. BriefBid (our first startup) was one of them. We needed buy-in from leadership to get real traction.
Talking to individual media planners or media sellers was easy. They loved our product. But they couldn’t make the decision to implement it company-wide.
We had to change our approach. We started targeting people higher up. It was harder to get their attention, but when we did, things moved much faster.
Remember, if your product requires significant organizational change or integration, you need to be talking to decision-makers from the start.
Don’t be afraid to course-correct. If something’s not working, change it. Fast. In the early days, agility is your superpower. Use it.
RELATED POST
Written by Lidia Vijga
Step #4. Nail Product Demo.
When it comes to product demos, many startup founders get it all wrong. They see it as their big moment to showcase every bell and whistle. But that’s not what a great demo is about.
I approach demos differently. My goal isn’t to show all the features we have. And trust me, we have a lot. Instead my goal is to show prospects how we’ll solve their problems. This shift in perspective makes all the difference.
Think of your demo like a compelling story. Start with your main character – your user – and the challenge they face. Recap this in the opener. This will show them that you’ve truly listened to their needs on your first call/contact.
Customization is very important. When possible I try to avoid generic presentations. We use the prospect’s branding, info from their website, even their team members’ names. It helps them envision our tool in their world.
Avoid the temptation to show all the features. Instead, weave them naturally into your narrative. Each feature should directly address a pain point you’ve identified. I.e. don’t just show them in a vacuum.
If you can, try to create “wow” moments. These are instances where you reveal something unexpectedly simple or powerful. They’re what prospects remember long after the demo call ends.
Here’s a tactic that’s worked well for us: we mock up sample presentations using the prospect’s own content. It’s a bit of extra work, but the payoff is huge. Seeing their materials in DeckLinks often leads to those “aha” moments we’re after.
The goal isn’t to overwhelm with information. It’s to leave your audience certain that you understand their challenges and have the solution. Remember, in founder-led sales, every interaction counts.
RELATED POST
Written by Lidia Vijga
Step #5. Figure Out Enterprise Pricing.
Pricing enterprise software is tricky. We’re still learning. There’s no magic formula, but we’ve learned hard lessons over the past few years.
First, gather as much information as you can. Before you even think about quoting a price, ask probing questions. How much is this problem costing their company? What’s their budget for solving it? How many people are maintaining their current solution?
Don’t rush to share your pricing. If your product needs significant customization, hold off until you understand their exact needs. Talk to your tech team. It’s okay to keep your cards close to your chest initially.
Treat each pricing conversation as an experiment. Test different price points. Pay close attention to how prospects react. It’s all about learning and refining your approach.
Here’s a counterintuitive tip: don’t underprice. Many startup founders, myself included, worry about scaring customers away with high prices. But I’ve found the opposite is often true. Higher prices can actually help you identify customers who truly need your solution.
We offer self-serve pricing for our basic product. But for our enterprise plan, we don’t publish prices. This gives us flexibility to adjust based on each client’s specific requirements. Remember, you want to bring enough money to the table to keep growing and improving the product for everyone. If your clients constantly try to undercut you, they might not be the right fit for your business. You can always say “No”.
Create a concise PDF that explains your pricing structure. Use DeckLinks to share this document. Put different pricing tiers on separate pages. This way, you can better understand which options they’re most interested in based on engagement analytics.
Include an overview of your product and its benefits in these materials. Your champion most likely will need to sell your solution internally. Make their job easier by giving them the right content.
I always video-narrate my sales decks using DeckLinks. While product champions are fantastic, don’t get me wrong, I want to make sure my message stays consistent and clear, even when I’m not in the room.
Don’t obsess over getting pricing perfect from day one. Start with a number that makes you a bit uncomfortable. It’s okay if prospects negotiate. In your first few enterprise sales, you’re optimizing for learning, not maximizing revenue.
RELATED POST
Written by DeckLinks Team
Step #6. Close the Enterprise Deal.
Closing isn’t just a single conversation. Big companies, especially in regulated industries, have formal procurement processes. These often include security reviews, legal checks, and compliance sign-offs. Even smaller companies usually have some form of process. So be prepared for a redlining pony dance with their legal team.
You know what’s the biggest mistake I see founders make? Getting blindsided by these processes. They think they’ve closed the deal, only to discover weeks of back-and-forth ahead. It’s frustrating and can derail your early sales momentum.
So, how do you avoid this? Ask questions. Lots of them. Early on, ask your prospect how they buy software. Who needs to sign off? What’s their typical timeline?
Once you understand their process, look for ways to speed things up. Can you start on that security questionnaire now? Are there steps you can run in parallel? Always look for ways to streamline the procurement process.
Keep your legal documents simple. At the early stage you can start with open-source templates and customize from there. Try to keep timelines and scope of work out of the main contract. Put these in a separate document instead. It’s easier to adjust these without legal reviews.
Your product champion is your biggest ally in the deal closing process. They want your solution. They can’t solve their problem until you get through procurement. So, stay in constant communication with them. When you hit a roadblock, ask for their help. They often have insider knowledge that can unstick things.
RELATED POST
Written by Lidia Vijga
Step #7. Implement the Product.
Implementation can make or break your enterprise deal. Many startup founders think their job ends when the contract is signed. It really doesn’t.
The biggest mistake startup founders make is thinking implementation is the customer’s job. It’s not! Your customers are buying a solution, not just a product. Getting from product to solution? That’s on you.
I urge you to ask decision-makers about the work required to implement your product early in the sales process. If we can’t build a solid implementation plan, we don’t sign. It’s that simple.
Here’s how we approach DeckLinks implementation:
- We treat customer implementation like a high-priority internal project.
- We create a shared roadmap using AirTable or Google Sheets.
- Every task has an owner.
- We set up regular check-ins to hold everyone accountable. On our side and client side.
Some may think it’s an overkill. It’s not. It’s the difference between a successful implementation and a frustrated customer that will most likely churn. I’m sure, you don’t want that.
Remember, your enterprise sales funnel only truly ends when your customer is using your product habitually. That’s when you can breathe easy. That’s when you’ve truly closed the deal.
RELATED POST
Written by Lidia Vijga
Conclusion
Remember, enterprise sales is a learnable skill. We figured it out through trial and error. You can too. As a startup founder, you’re uniquely positioned to sell your product. You have the expertise and conviction that typical sales reps often lack.
Don’t fall into common traps. Avoid talking to anyone who’ll listen. Focus on your ideal customers. Ask questions. Lots of them. Craft personalized demos that show how you’ll solve their problems, not just showcase features.
When it comes to pricing, don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth. Create clear, trackable pricing materials. And remember, closing a deal is just the beginning. Take ownership of the implementation process.
Just get started. You’ll make mistakes. That’s okay. With each attempt, you’ll get better. Soon, selling will feel natural.
Mastering enterprise sales skills isn’t just about closing deals. It’ll help you in fundraising, hiring, and every aspect of growing your business!
FAQs
As a startup founder, how do I transition from SMB to enterprise sales?
Start by defining a clear enterprise sales hypothesis. Identify ideal enterprise customers and adjust your pitch to address their pain points. Be prepared for longer sales cycles and complex decision-making processes. Focus on building relationships and demonstrating your product’s value to multiple stakeholders.
What's the biggest mistake founders make in early enterprise sales?
Many founders try selling to anyone who will listen, rather than focusing on ideal enterprise customers. This wastes time and resources. Be selective and target companies that fit your enterprise sales hypothesis. Don’t mistake activity for progress in your sales process.
How can I leverage my position as a founder in enterprise sales?
Emphasize your deep product knowledge and ability to influence product development. Enterprise clients value direct access to leadership. Highlight your role and vision for the company. Your passion and expertise can be a key differentiator in the sales process.
As a startup founder, how do I handle pricing discussions in enterprise sales?
Don’t rush to share pricing. First, understand the prospect’s budget and the cost of their current problem. Be prepared to justify your price based on value delivered. Don’t be afraid to price high, as it can help identify serious buyers in the enterprise market.
How do I craft effective cold emails for enterprise prospects as a startup founder?
Keep emails short and personalized. Reference specific company challenges. Highlight your founder status and unique insights. Use a clear call-to-action. Follow up with a video-narrated deck using DeckLinks for tracking engagement. Always provide value in your outreach.
About the Author
Lidia Vijga is a seasoned professional with 10 years of first-hand experience in B2B sales and B2B marketing. She has a proven track record of driving growth for companies across various industries. Throughout her career, Lidia has led numerous successful sales campaigns and implemented innovative marketing strategies that have significantly increased revenue and reduced customer acquisition cost for her clients. Lidia regularly shares her insights and experiences on LinkedIn, webinars, and public speaking engagements. Lidia believes in the power of personal qualities such as kindness, empathy, and the willingness to understand others. She is committed to empowering client-facing teams with tools that enhance their talent instead of automating it, and she firmly believes that teams that show their human side grow companies much faster.
Master Territory Sales Management
Learn how to effectively structure, manage, and optimize sales territories for greater team productivity and revenue.
How to Create a Great Buying Experience selling to B2B customers
How to improve customer buying experience. Strategies companies can implement to deliver a more personal buying experience to grow faster.
What is RevOps? Explaining the Revenue Operations Model.
RevOps brings sales, marketing, and customer success together to optimize revenue growth. Learn about this emerging model.
