July 30, 2013

The Lost Art of Selling

I love growing companies. I love this so much, that I have done nothing else for the past 15 years, with companies like TravelChannel, DocMorris, Qype, 9flats, avocadostore.

Sustainable growth requires a very basic art:  Every business must figure out how to

  1. Acquire customers profitably and
  2. How to sell to them.

People who know how to do this well are few. Customer acquisition via SEM, SEO etc. is a well paid specialty. Still, to this day, I find way more people who do this on a superficial level than people who really know how to do it. Most of the good online marketing experts seem to be consultants.

People who master the second step, to be precise: people who know how to sell online, are extremely rare. In a functional way, there are now user experience (UX) specialists and even conversion specialists. People who know how they can make you press that “buy now” button. But this is not enough.Too few founders know how to really sell on the web

If you really know to what offer to pitch to your customers, how to present the offer, how to differentiate the offer and how to price it, then you are truly a master of your business. It is much easer to get investors if you know how to sell to your customers

If you decide to take on capital and can prove your sales mechanics to potential investors, then it will be much easier to get that capital. Investors love it when they see a formula that works. “Just add water” is what this is called. I love it too, in the rare cases where I invest.

Founders are often better selling themselves

There is this strong misconception that you have to be a good in business development to succeed. This is true for some businesses that really thrive on joint marketing deals or are service businesses, mostly business-to-business (b2b). But in my specialty: Business to Consumer (b2c), I much rather run a business with no business development, but a successful online model that acquires customers successfully.

Most founders I meet focus to much on networking with potential partners and investors, and too little on building a product that sells online.

Stephan Uhrenbacher

Coach for entrepreneurs, founder, speaker and author

JOIN MY NEWSLETTER
Receive every update of my blog simply by email reminder.

My Latest Blog Posts

Are you ready for two-day hikes?

Are you ready for two-day hikes?

Nothing beats getting out in nature to get a new perspective. Two-day hikes are the key component of my coaching program for entrepreneurs - two days of intense one-on-one work, reframing your perspective, and accelerating growth. As of now, you can join us on just...

Not enough

Not enough

"Why am I trying to do something more than this?" This line on WhatsApp this morning sums up a struggle that most of us know too well. Things aren’t good enough as they are. Just one more business to be built. Just one more exit. A home with one more room. Satisfied...

The fear that keeps you from being happy

The fear that keeps you from being happy

All successful entrepreneurs are driven.We have our own compass. We operate at our own speed. We aim for Mars instead of the Moon.  Many of us know exactly the inner driver, which keeps us pushing on. It comes in many guises:A lack of a sense of...

My journey from founder to coach

My journey from founder to coach

For nearly a decade, I have been coaching a few other successful entrepreneurs consistently one on one. But in Summer 2022, the feedback I got for my coaching sessions changed. While earlier it was “super helpful”, now several people used the word “life-changing”. As...

How to find ‘What’s Next”?

How to find ‘What’s Next”?

As a serial entrepreneur, I went through seven “What’s Next” phases. I guided countless founders through phases of searching for their next thing. Here are some points that I learned. 1) We tend to overemphasize avoiding a painful experience. People who leave their...

Founders have three jobs

Founders have three jobs

When I coach entrepreneurs, a part of the conversations centers around the organizations they build. Most of them have never learned that founders don't need to do everything themselves. As a founder and CEO, you really have only three jobs: Maintaining the product...