Sales

When I first started my craft beer business after graduation, I was thrust into performing the sales function as my co-founders were more comfortable with research and brewing. I would carry a bag of samples and would go door to door trying to speak to a decision maker in the hope of making a sale. Although this method was archaic and time consuming, it did teach me a lot about sales. Eventually, we refined our method and would send out emails first, before going door to door.

Today, I met with a startup founder who was raving about his salesman and as someone who appreciates a good salesman, I asked him what made him so special. Eventually, he gave me an anecdote that made a lot of sense. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but not entitled to the facts. The job of a salesperson is to sway the opinion to a position where the person is likely to purchase the product.