« Startups and the Penny Gap | Main | Updated: Me on CNBC »
Latest Stories
- Excel Wankers and Recession Averages
- Sorry, New York is Closed. Check Back Later.
- Catching Falling 2009 Earnings Estimate Knife
- Survivorship Bias in Global Markets
- Talking Positions on a Lazy-ish Retirement Portfolio
March 13, 2007
Why You Don't Want Good Salespeople
Seth on why you don't want good salespeople at your startup -- you want great ones. Why? Because there is a major discontinuity between good and great:Discontinuities are interesting, because that's where you can see how a system works. In this case, it's obvious that a great salesperson is going to sell far, far more than a good one. Nine women working together can't have a baby in one month, and ten good salespeople still aren't going to close the account that a great one could. That's because it's not a linear scale. The great ones reach out. They work the phones when they're not first in line. They understand what a customer wants. They're not just better than good. They're playing a totally different game.[via Seth]My best advice: Fire half your salesforce. Then, give the remainder, the top people, a big raise, and use the money left over to steal the best salespeople you can find from other industries or even from your competition. You'll end up with fewer salespeople. But all of them will be great.
And the good guys? Have them go work for the competition.
Sphere It
| 
Digg it
| 
Bookmark it
| 
Stumble it
| 
Facebook it
Here's an idea: have a sales/lobbyist hybrid. I know a lobbyist very well, and his value lies not in what he knows, but whom he knows (as it is with all effective lobbyists). The BEST salespeople also have amazingly valuable networks. Start a sales firm modeled on a lobbying firm, where you charge clients to keep you on retainer to arrange face-to-face meetings with decision makers, influence purchasing processes, etc., but for lots of companies rather than just the one company for which you work as a "salesperson".
I couldn't agree more with Seth - he is an ok smart guy. Almost every startup and every mid-size company makes this mistake because they are afraid of losing warm bodies who may be working deals. I am going to steal his quote for my pitch - have a good one