1. How to Get Your First Sales
Glenn Gaudet
President & Founder
May 12, 2012

2. Remember – This is YOUR Job
• Nobody can sell
YOUR product
better than YOU
• YOU need to hear
the feedback… the
good and the bad.
• If YOU can’t sell it.
Don’t expect
someone else to.

3. Role of Early Sales
• For the product
– Validation
– Market Fit
– Will someone pay?
– Are you leaving money on the
table?
– Is it sustainable at that price?
• For you
– Revenue
– Confidence
– Credibility
• Create a “Garden” so you can
harvest revenue beyond your
first sales.

4. Step 1: Get some tools
• Don’t reinvent the wheel. Fill up
the wheel barrel with what you
will need.
• What we use:
– Salesforce – for CRM (Customer
Relationship Management) and
opportunity tracking ($15/month)
– Google Apps – email and
collaboration (FREE)
– Yesware for Gmail– email tracking
($4.95/month)
– Rapportive for Gmail – email
lookup (FREE)
– Grasshopper – toll free
number, forwarding and vmail
($24/month)

5. Step 2: Fertilizer
• Website – Beyond your product
– Important to sell company
credibility
• Team
• Third party validation
• Contact info
• What we use for social & web
engagement:
– Tweetdeck – publishing and
singular engagement (FREE)
– GaggleAMP – social
amplification ($25/month)
– SnapEngage – website visitor
chat ($19/month)

6. Step 3: Seed the market
• Pre-availability – build a list
– ttp://launchrock.com (FREE)
• Use your beta program to get the
word out
– The more the merrier
– Target a representative sample
– Get engagement and use (1/10 at
best)
– Transition to a paid beta
• Free/discounted use
– Seed your product with influencers
• Bloggers
• Podcasters
• Companies that will be a reference

7. Step 4: Greenhouses
• Events are a way to exhibit &
network
– Forces you to refine your pitch
with lots of practice
– LeverageFREE events such as
Mass Innovation Nights & other
startup showcases
– Leverage any “partner pavillions”
• Do your homework before the
event
– Research who will be there
– Reach out ahead of time to set up
meetings
– Leverage “startup areas or
pricing”
– Work the event’s lunches &
cocktail events

8. Step 5: Harvesting
• The hardest part from most
entrepreneurs is to ask for
the order.
• Negative self-talk includes:
• What if they say no?
• What if the price is too high?
– Don’t psych yourself out of
the game!
• Ask for the order and find out
if you have a company.
• Remember - Sell the benefit
NOT just the feature

9. Sell the benefit NOT just the feature
• Example – Gillette Fusion
ProGlide:
• an enhanced lubrastrip with
more lubricants enables the
razor to glide smoothly.
• a redesigned precision
trimmerideal for shaving
tricky places like under the
nose.
• a more ergonomic handle for
better control.

10. Final Thoughts
• If you get frustrated…
sell your product
• If you get depressed…
sell your product
• Selling your product is
the magical elixir that
heals almost all ills of
a startup.

11. Thank you for your time!
Now go forth and sell!
Contact:
– Glenn Gaudet
– President & Founder
– 617.682.0777
– @glenng on Twitter
– glenn@gaggleamp.com