Evan Madden-Peister. Mentor at Starta Accelerator. Introduction to Startup Sales.
Consultant, Business Strategist, Project Manager, MBA with 10+ years of experience driving organizational success through the strategic leadership of innovative, progressive projects.
My professional foundation is within the food & hospitality space; having also graduated from the International Culinary Center and worked as a consultant and entrepreneur in the industry. I built on my prior hospitality consulting experience by completing an MBA and consulting for clients across industries and geographies. My expertise spans over marketing, business development/sales, product ideation/development, and business model design across diverse market settings. Repeated success serving as an integral member on cross-functional startup teams.
An articulate, creative, and entrepreneurial manager with excellent communication skills and a proven track record of forging meaningful relationships across a myriad of environments and cultures.
Specialties: management consulting, innovation, business design, business development, marketing and brand strategy, project management, and cross-functional team management
2. WORKSHOP OUTLINE
I. Who I am and Starta Ventures
I. Before Sales: Startup Fundamentals
I. Intro to sales
A. The sales process
B. Relationship sales
C. Partnerships sales
D. A note on culture
I. 4 step sales method SEED
3. EVAN MADDEN-PEISTER
Entrepreneurial Roots
My passion for entrepreneurship
and startups began with a passion
for hospitality, F&B. I took that
passion, and applied it as a
founding member of Birch Coffee.
But I wanted more so...
International MBA
Startup Consulting and Launch
4. STARTA ACCELERATOR
We take companies with European R&D roots
and bring them to New York City for an intense
acceleration program!
Compete, scale, and succeed in the global
economy through a program that puts you at
the center of global business-New York City
We help bridge the gap between operating in
Europe, and operating in the US. Targeted
coaching, programming, and resources to
establish product/market fit, traction, and to
become a part of the US startup ecosystem
5. BEFORE SALES: STARTUP FUNDAMENTALS
2 Core Questions:
What problem are you solving?
Who is your Customer?
6. BEFORE SALES: STARTUP FUNDAMENTALS
What problem are you solving?
Who is your Customer?
Your Solution
Value Proposition
7. BEFORE SALES: STARTUP FUNDAMENTALS
Source: https://customerdevlabs.com/2017/03/20/who-are-early-adopters/
STAGES OF STARTUP CUSTOMERS/USERS
8. STAGES OF STARTUP CUSTOMERS/USERS: EARLY ADOPTERS
BEFORE SALES: STARTUP FUNDAMENTALS
Source: https://customerdevlabs.com/2017/03/20/who-are-early-adopters/
9. STAGES OF STARTUP CUSTOMERS/USERS: EARLY MAJORITY
BEFORE SALES: STARTUP FUNDAMENTALS
Source: https://customerdevlabs.com/2017/03/20/who-are-early-adopters/
10. STAGES OF STARTUP CUSTOMERS/USERS: LATE MAJORITY
BEFORE SALES: STARTUP FUNDAMENTALS
Source: https://customerdevlabs.com/2017/03/20/who-are-early-adopters/
11. STAGES OF STARTUP CUSTOMERS/USERS: LATE MAJORITY
BEFORE SALES: STARTUP FUNDAMENTALS
Source: https://customerdevlabs.com/2017/03/20/who-are-early-adopters/
12. Your sales process must answer 4 questions
INTRO TO SALES
What?Why?Who? How?
B2C? B2B? Role of marketing Sales is a skill
WHAT IS THE PAIN???
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
13. THE SALES PROCESS
To effectively build your sales process, you must
have answered the 4 questions of sales.
A sales funnel is a mechanism by which you find
customers and focus on those who will buy.
Can you answer these questions for your business?
Source: mailmunch.co
B2C businesses focus on moving customers
through the funnel with content and other
easily scalable models
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
14. THE SALES PROCESS
Another common term referring to the customer buying process is
the sales cycle.
● Sales cycles refer both to the amount of time that it takes for
a customer to make a decision
● They also indicate what the customer is thinking at each
stage
● At each stage in the cycle, the goal of a customer meeting is
to give the customer a reason to meet with you again and
move to the next stage
B2B businesses leverage the customer’s sales cycle to
develop a direct relationship with the customer
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
15. VS
TYPES OF SALES STRATEGIES
● Both B2B and B2C businesses can augment
their sales process by building referral
partnerships that can reduce the time to sale
substantially.
● The partnership process for B2C and B2B
businesses follows a relationship sales model
What does building partnerships require for your
business?
Direct? Channnel?
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
16. RELATIONSHIP SELLING
A relationship sales process relies on:
● Understanding your customer’s key
motivations and strategic imperatives;
● Finding your value wedge; and
● Developing a relationship with a customer
so that they see you as the go-to partner in
your space
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
17. THE SALES PROCESS
Actors in the sales process:
Recommenders - Carry out a formal search and will make a
recommendation for or against purchase
Influencers - They influence a purchasing decision but do not make
the final decision
Economic Buyers - Person who controls the budget. Often
concerned with cost/financial efficiency
Decision Makers - Person ultimately responsible for the service
End Users - Ultimate beneficiaries of a service (may or may not
have a say)
Saboteurs - Persons who can obstruct or delay the process
Can you identify the 5 players in a recent sale that you
worked on?
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
18. A NOTE ON CULTURE...
A common evaluation of the differences between cultures looks like this, with the US shaded uniformly as a low
context culture, but….
Source: When Cultures Collide, by Richard Lewis
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
19. A NOTE ON CULTURE...
A more accurate cultural map of the United States
looks more like this.
Be aware of regional cultural differences and how
they may impact the sales process
The best strategy is to ask.
Source: American Nations, by Colin Woodward
Can you describe cultural differences
between the US and your home country?
Within the US?
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
20. The four step method SEED for startups
THE 4 STEP SEED SALES METHOD
Edit Your
List
Prioritize targets
based on available
resources
Establish A
Sales Plan
Refine who your
customer is and
define how you will
find them
Strategize
Define your overall
strategy including the
core value and the
customers it serves
Do
Work on your
pipeline and
measure your results
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
21. THE 4 STEP SEED SALES METHOD
Identify and refine your business model
● What are you selling and to whom?
● How are you positioned?
● What is your pricing?
Business model canvas can be helpful
STRATEGIZE
Can you summarize your overall strategy?
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
22. THE 4 STEP SEED SALES METHOD
Focus on on the customer and identify their key desires
and concerns
● Also use feedback from your iteration process
● Where do you find your customer?
● Are they in an industry or a vertical ?
ESTABLISH A SALES PLAN
Who are your key groups of clients?
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
23. THE 4 STEP SEED SALES METHOD
Divide your prospect list into manageable campaigns based
on similarities between customer types
● Prioritize each campaign based on available
resources
● Refine your messaging for each campaign
● Find your value wedge - What is the 30% that makes
you truly competitive
EDIT YOUR PROSPECT LIST
How would you prioritize the groups of
clients that you are considering?
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
24. THE 4 STEP SEED SALES METHOD
Working your prospect list takes time.
● Run a sales meeting with yourself
● Strategize with mentors
● Establish key performance indicators to
measure your progress
DO..
Source: Pipedrive
Describe one sales opportunity that you
are currently working on
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
25. CASE STUDY - SEED
Free Agent Source is a startup talent platform seeking to connect consultants with
opportunities at large companies
● Through analysis FAS refined its offering to focus on expertise in HR technology
● Company sizes were refined to focus on mid-sized clients with shorter sales
cycles
● Result was a manageable pipeline of 30 enterprise opportunities that the
founder could work over time
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
26. Startup Sales can seem intimidating…
It doesn’t have to be:
-Understand your customer
-Create a strategy
-Build a process
-Develop relationships
-Close business
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
At the Starta Accelerator, we help you get there
CONCLUSION
27. THANK YOU!
CONTACT: Evan Madden-Peister
www.linkedin.com/in/evan-madden-peister/
@EvanMPe
e.maddenpeister@gmail.com
Starta Ventures
Source: Courtesy of Scott Galea, Starta Ventures
CONCLUSION