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Updated August 22, 2022You’re reading an excerpt of Founding Sales: The Early-Stage Go-To-Market Handbook, a book by Pete Kazanjy. The most in-depth, tactical handbook ever written for early-stage B2B sales, it distills early sales first principles and teaches the skills required, from being a founder selling to being an early salesperson and a sales leader. Purchase the book to support the author and the ad-free Holloway reading experience. You get instant digital access, commentary and future updates, and a high-quality PDF download.
That was quite a journey, eh? For those of you who are reading the end of this book because you’ve advanced your organization through all the steps described in previous chapters: Congratulations! You’re at a stage that very few get to, and should be very proud of your work. And for those of you who are reading this conclusion while still partway through the journey: Keep at it. While acquiring knowledge is important, having the perseverance and grit to put it to work is paramount. This book is set up to be a constant companion for you as you go from step to step. It’s less a one-time read, and more a handy desk reference that’s here for you as you hit challenges along the way. And you will.
Either way, acquiring the skills of selling is an important arrow in your professional quiver. Far too many startups have floundered for want of being good at sales, and the same is true of individual startup executives and operators. Deciding to get good at sales is the first step, the next step is learning about it (this book!), and the step after that is honing your craft through ongoing effort. Having internalized what’s presented in this book, you’re well on your way.
Founding Sales was written because there wasn’t yet a tactical textbook for early-stage sales written specifically for founders and other non-sellers. But there’s a whole constellation of high-quality sales books for sales professionals. I’ve listed my favorites below. I highly recommend you check them out to help further your sales education.
The Transparency Sale (Todd Caponi)
The Challenger Sale (Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson)
Triangle Selling (Hillmon Sorey and Cory Bray)
SPIN Selling (Neil Rackham)
Cracking the Sales Management Code (Jason Jordan and Michelle Vazzana)
The Sales Acceleration Formula (Mark Roberge)
Blueprints for a SaaS Sales Organization (Jacco Van Der Kooij and Fernando Pizarro )
The Sales Development Playbook (Trish Bertuzzi)
Leading Sales Development (Alea Homison and Jeremey Donovan)
Fanatical Prospecting (Jeb Blount and Mike Weinberg)