HN Explorer

Is there a Sales School for Hackers?

7 points by feydr ↗ HN
Something akin to much of the 'learn to code' type of classes that have gained popularity in the past year?

It seems that a good hacker would have much more to gain by doing a 'learn to sale' type of class than a bizdev guy taking coding classes.

4 comments

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mapster
Just as you learn to code by doing, you would learn to sell by doing, but ideally with a mentor. Now how do you find a skilled salesperson willing to take a sales noob under the wing. They might if any received royalties were waived or greatly reduced.

Also, consider which type of sales do you want to learn. The fast close (we meet for the 1st time, you demo and try to close me in 10 minutes) or the slow method (build relationships over time, many demos, many trips, close once and receive royalties on repeat orders).

lionheart
Funny you should mention that. A sales trainer fried of mine is working on one right at this moment.

If you're interested in "beta testing" it just let me know.

orangethirty
You don't need a school to learn the basics of selling. You already have the knowledge, what you need to expand on is your confidence and structure. Structure is easy. You are a hacker, thus design comes to you naturally. In sales, design applies to the steps needed to find and move prospects from one point to another. Something like: prospect sees your first ad after searching for a product like yours, prospect visits site, subscribes to mailing list in exchange for free report, receives three different emails that try and clos the sale, if nothing is sold then receives a link with a video brochure, etc., until the sale is closed. It is just hacking, and I even code my own marketing campaigns in code. You should try it out.

Now, confidence. That you only get by selling something every day. No matter what the outcome, you go out and sell.