You’ve poured your heart and soul into building your SaaS product, and now it’s time to get it into the hands of customers. But if the thought of “selling” makes you cringe, you’re not alone. Many founders, especially those with technical backgrounds, find the sales process daunting. This episode of the Go-To-Market Lab features Jim Wilson from Costanoa Ventures, a seasoned expert in guiding early-stage founders through the crucial stages of sales. Jim draws on his extensive experience as an operator and venture capitalist to provide a practical checklist for founders, diving deep into the essentials of discovery, qualification, crafting compelling pitches and demos, and navigating the often-murky waters of early-stage pricing. Forget the stereotypical “salesy” tactics. Jim emphasizes building a repeatable sales playbook from day one, not just for attracting investors, but also for effectively training your first sales hires. He highlights the critical components of this playbook, from defining your ideal customer profile and buyer personas to mastering discovery questions that foster genuine connection. Learn how to transform initial conversations into valuable insights, moving beyond one-sided pitches to understand your customer's needs and demonstrate how your solution truly fits. This episode provides actionable strategies to empower founders to become confident and effective sellers, focusing on genuine engagement and value delivery rather than pushy techniques. 🎯 BIGGEST TAKEAWAY [00:06:38]: "For founders, you need to start thinking about [building a repeatable sales playbook] from day one. And you need to do that for two reasons. One, investors, when you raise your second round of funding are going to want to know, do you have a repeatable sales process that I can invest in? The second reason you want to have a repeatable sales process is because when you eventually hire your first salesperson or you expand your sales team, you need to teach them something." Discover the foundational elements of a winning sales strategy as Jim unpacks the essential building blocks for founders. 🎯 EPISODE GOLD [00:04:34]: "Founder sales is talked about a lot, but I think very few people articulate what it really means." Jim shares his unique perspective on what truly constitutes "founder sales" and why it's critical for early-stage success. This changes everything about how you approach your initial customer interactions because it shifts the focus from polished salesmanship to genuine problem-solving. 🔑 BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT [00:12:31]: Tired of one-sided sales calls where you do all the talking? "[You want to] set up a cadence where it's a two way conversation... have three to five key discovery questions and have a thesis on how those answers map to your ideal customer profile." Watch as Jim reveals how to transform your initial customer meetings into valuable discovery sessions without feeling like you're interrogating them. Don't miss this part ⏰. 💡 FRAMEWORK REVEAL [00:24:05]: The Key to Simple Pricing: • Treat pricing like a first-class feature. • Keep it simple for easy explanation. • Focus on packaging that aligns with value. Watch this part to understand how simplifying your pricing can significantly reduce friction and accelerate early deals. Save this timestamp 🔖. 🔗 CONNECT WITH JIM: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimwilsoncostanoa/ #FounderSales #SaaSSales #GoToMarketStrategy #EarlyStageStartup #SalesProcess