HN Explorer

Ask HN: Are tenacious salespeople/marketers here?

1 points by jeromec ↗ HN
I think a team which includes a great hacker, web designer, and marketer is a killer combo. A reason power is shifting from investors to founders is because such a team can go far enough to gain traction and profitability without requiring a cent of investment, especially if they refuse to quit and keep iterating on ideas. It seems pretty easy to connect with great hackers and designers, probably looking no further than right here at HN. However, I wonder if finding great marketers is as easy. I don't mean marketers that focus on online tactics like SEO, SEM, social media etc. Anyone involved with Internet startups will likely be okay with picking up slack in those areas. I'm talking about a different personality type. I'm talking about traditional sales -- picking up the phone and cold-calling, or pounding the pavement, just doing whatever it takes to get the sale. There is a whole world that still doesn't know any more than what they need to know, or may have heard casually, about what's happening on the Internet. To reach these people ideally you will have a tenacious marketer. Paul Graham says his company Viaweb had such a person, someone they could call "an animal". My question is where do you find such people?

5 comments

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tnorthcutt
Great salespeople never lack for a job, so you'll find them already employed, making good money. As for where online you'd find them, I'm not sure. I'm not a great salesperson, but my wife is, and she frankly doesn't spend a lot of time in online communities. I'm sure there are some who do, but that's my data point.
jeromec
Yeah, it makes sense that they would never lack for a job! I guess that could make them an even more valuable commodity than an awesome hacker. Hmm, perhaps it would be smart to look for them at a younger age, before they get into an established sales position.
tnorthcutt
Indeed. The problem, I've found, is identifying people who will truly succeed in sales, rather than people who are desperate for a job and willing to take a position that doesn't suit them.
byoung2
picking up the phone and cold-calling, or pounding the pavement, just doing whatever it takes to get the sale

People who are good at this are the same people who are good at landing great jobs and constantly getting promoted. In the rare event that they are without a job, they are likely on the phone nonstop or pounding the pavement to find one. Probably the best way to find a great marketer is to steal one from another company. You'll have to offer something attractive enough to warrant leaving a good job to come work for your startup, though.

jeromec
That makes sense. I guess they would need to be convinced their income potential could benefit greatly with the move.