
Ask HN:  Would you sign up for a sales bootcamp? - fapi1974
I have in mind an 8-10 week program that would turn you into a sales superstar.  Content would include:<p>-  Crafting the story for any product
-  Creating the pitch deck
-  Learning how to sell multiple different product types (SaaS, Packaged Goods, Yourself)
-  Presenting in various formats (1-1, in person, to a group, phone, screenshare, Skype, etc.)
-  Negotiations
-  Prospecting
-  Creating a team of virtual assistants to drive inbound sales (which you would take with you from the course)
-  Outside Sales
-  Social selling skills - content creation, use of Linkedin, Slideshare etc.<p>Also - I&#x27;m curious what other things people would like to see in such a program.  The intent is that any Tech, Finance, or Fortune 500 would hire graduates from this program into a mid-level sales role, or that any technical founder could effectively drive the business side of their startup.
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kobey
I don't have any interest in being a salesman (working for someone else). As
someone in the very early stages of trying to start my own business (technical
founder), this type of thing sounds interesting, but 8-10 weeks of a full
immersion program is just too much. Even if I had the time and the money to
attend a rigorous 2 month bootcamp, I have a hard time believing that would be
a good use of my time. Something more tailored to a part time schedule would
be more interesting to me, and even then it would be a tough sell.

But if you do decide to push ahead with it, good luck. I do think there's
probably room for this type of thing targeted to sales people if you can
deliver the goods. I've only known a few people in sales, but it truly is a
wonderful sight to see a pro work his magic.

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notahacker
8-10 weeks sounds like a _very_ long time for basic sales training, whilst
companies hiring mid-level candidates will tend to favour a track record of
closing business over a sustained period of time (showing qualities of
consistency and resilience that can't be taught) over successful passing of
theory tests.

That said, there's a huge sales training market out there, I just think
there's a good reason most courses are aimed to be short bursts at different
stages of a salesperson's career.

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JSeymourATL
Sales training is already a pretty crowded, competitive space. What's your
Secret Sauce? [http://www.sellingpower.com/2013/sales-training-
companies/to...](http://www.sellingpower.com/2013/sales-training-
companies/top-twenty-listing/)

It's unlikely I would hire program graduates, without a proven sales track
record. But if the program content is solid, I might sponsor my people for
additional/on-going training.

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murtza
Have you heard of Tradecraft? You might consider reaching out to alumni of the
program, and asking them about their experience. You could get insights on how
those students found out about Tradecraft to help you sell your bootcamp.

[http://tradecrafted.com/](http://tradecrafted.com/)

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gavinbaker
Personally I think there is room for training in the way you describe it. I do
not think I am very good at sales, so I've looked into a lot of programs to
get better. But none touch on all the pieces you mentioned in your post.

Is there a big market? Not sure - would I be interested - yes.

