For a quick weekend thought provoking piece, I thought you might be interested in this slide from Peter Thiel. This one slide encompasses so much of what we need to know about product introduction strategies, general sales and growth strategies. It’s particularly interesting when one hears so many discussions from SaaS companies that “No Sales People Are Needed!”
What do you think?
@pmarca Peter Thiel nailed the reality of the relationship between sales and product in CS 183: pic.twitter.com/cQlF6xrwV5
— sean rose (@sean_a_rose) February 8, 2015
Dave – I don’t know what to think – I’m not sure what the graph/chart is trying to say!
Am I having a ‘senior moment’?!
Martin: I think it may be me having a “moment,” I refuse to take a position on a senior or other kind of moment. I’ve been engaged in a lot of “discussions” about the role of sales in start-up, particularly SaaS companies. Too often, there are a couple of things happening. 1. A field of dreams mentality—build it and they will come, all you need is a cool landing page, a freemium, and some buzz—they will come. 2. “I don’t need no stinkin’ sales people” mentalities, tainted by bad experiences with sales people, not understanding what sales people really do.
This chart says, sales and selling is needed, regardless of what you are developing. The best way to sell, depends—actually on how your customers buy, but you have to sell if you expect to grow consistently.
Hopefully that makes a little sense and provides the context. I think this post was more an outlet for my frustration than any attempt to be meaningful. So it’s me having a “moment.”
Dave & Michael – thanks for those added perspectives.
Dave, at times I share your frustrations, though perhaps not the intensity!.
Other than oxygen, water, and certain kinds of chocolate, wine & beer, I’ve not come across anything that sells itself!!
I share the view that ‘selling’ is needed, that effort is required for this to be successful, and that many kinds of startups live in an alternate universe!
Generally, these 2 x 2 tables are designed to show some distinction that we are missing.
Draw in the vertical lines and you have 2 new dimensions.
But, in this case, we have;
1. Something that goes from (No Sales Effort and Sells itself) to (Strong Sales Effort and Needs Selling).
2. Something that goes from (No Sales Effort & Needs Selling) to (Sells itself and Strong Sales Effort.)
I assume that the author is trying to focus on 2.
We start from no revenue and create a product which both sells itself & has a strong sales effort.