
Ask HN: I'm a solo founder and I suck at sales. Help me please. - helplessfounder
I quit my job a year ago to start my own business and I have an MVP ready now.
I love all the aspects of running a business except doing sales.
And to be honest, I hate it. That&#x27;s just not compatible with my personality.
Every email I want to write is a huge burden. Sometimes it takes hours to write one (not joking).<p>Somehow, I&#x27;ve managed to send over 100 cold emails to potential sellers (it&#x27;s a marketplace app).
A few of them have shown some interest but I don&#x27;t know how to convince them to use my service.<p>I wish I had a co-founder to do this but due to some complicated reasons I cannot.
And I don&#x27;t have enough money to hire someone.
I&#x27;ve been stuck at this stage for 3 months and I don&#x27;t know how to get out of it.<p>What should I do?
======
ziddoap
This sound like run of the mill sales anxiety, which is completely normal and
to be expected. Not everyone can do everything!

Try to re-frame the situation, pretend you are a potential buyer and ask
yourself what key things you would require or be looking for. Once you have
that list, go through it and answer how your app fills those requirements.
This exercise will help to remove some of the anxiety as you'll already have
some pre-loaded answers to common questions.

I would also consider what has worked on you in the past, as a buyer.
Marketing and selling tactics are applicable no matter the industry. So, what
has made you eager to try a product? What has turned you off of a product?
What have other sales people done that made you close the deal? Physically
write these things out in a big list. And again, once the list is complete,
make some notes on how you and/or your app can accomplish the things on the
list (or avoid the negatives of the list).

Lastly, networking. Cold calls/emails are a starting point and might even be
necessary down the road. However, networking is the key. As long as your not
shilling some crap app, networking is what is needed. Getting one customer
that is enthusiastic about your product and willing to recommend it to others
is worth 10 unengaged customers in the long run. It's like hiring a sales
person, except they are paying you for the app while they recommend it to
others. If your product/app is of high quality, it'll stand on its own.

Some people are able to naturally sell. If you aren't a natural born
saleshuman, prepare and practice. Anticipate the questions you'll receive and
have answers ready. Role-play different sales scenarios. Role-play being the
buyer. As you do this more, you'll naturally become more confident which will
help your sales in its own way.

~~~
helplessfounder
Thank you very much.

------
verdverm
I'm in the same boat!

Books:

\- The Challenger Sale

\- Crossing the Chasm

\- To Sell is Human

\- The Little Red Book of Selling

Videos:

\- [https://www.heavybit.com/library/](https://www.heavybit.com/library/) has
some videos that are relevant after making a few sales.

Product Description:

\- [https://www.cortes.design/post/saas-conversion-
rates](https://www.cortes.design/post/saas-conversion-rates) (generally good
content, not sure if it's geared towards marketplaces)

What problem are you solving? Who's the niche? Are you speaking to one of
their top three pains?

Look at sales as another thing to be mastered, be proud of your product and
ask for the money, start the money conversation early on. Don't forget why
your doing this.

~~~
helplessfounder
Thank you very much.

------
sharemywin
[https://www.nfx.com/post/19-marketplace-tactics-for-
overcomi...](https://www.nfx.com/post/19-marketplace-tactics-for-overcoming-
the-chicken-or-egg-problem)

[https://www.applicoinc.com/blog/7-strategies-solving-
chicken...](https://www.applicoinc.com/blog/7-strategies-solving-chicken-egg-
problem-startup/)

[https://blog.elichait.com/2018/04/09/how-the-100-largest-
mar...](https://blog.elichait.com/2018/04/09/how-the-100-largest-marketplaces-
solve-the-chicken-and-egg-problem/)

~~~
helplessfounder
Thanks.

------
megasim1113
Do you have a friend who works in marketing and can help you with these sales
calls? Perhaps you can find someone who is willing/able to provide some of
their time to help you for some potential future payout or investment in the
app? Because you are trying to sell a service, I don't think it's viable to
ask someone to help you for free without them having a stake in the business
or receiving some sort of pay out. But I would look to friends who can help
first, then branch out.

~~~
helplessfounder
Thank you very much.

------
JPLeRouzic
As a personal rule of thumb, only one out of 20 people answers to any query.

IMO you simply need to send emails/fliers/etc to 20 times the number of
sellers you aim at recruiting.

For the email content: It should be very short (less than 500 words) and
mostly explain why it is interesting for a seller to use your platform.

Good luck!

~~~
helplessfounder
Thanks.

