#107. Sales playbook, or sales guessbook?

September 16
47 mins

Episode Description

Hey friends 👋

You know the pattern: sales feels gross, so the second you can afford it, you hire someone who’s “done this before” to build the process and go sell your s**t for you.

Except that no playbook exists yet. The founders haven’t found it — and an outside hire never will.

This week, Cam and JDM dig into where that “ick” around selling actually comes from. The check? Who’s supposed to be bringing the pressure to the table?

Then they lay out the five things that have to repeat, in exact lockstep, before you’re anywhere close to a real, repeatable sales process: same customer, same pitch, same channel, same motion, and same objections.

That data doesn’t get delegated, either. You put in the boots-on-the-ground work long enough to have something worth writing down, and the playbook falls out the other end.

And in frivolous thoughts: a startup lesson from Apple’s first foldable phone — proof that being first to market means far less than being ready to dominate once the market finally shows up — and a surprising Netflix recommendation.

And, as always, thanks for listening.

—Cameron and JDM

Timestamps

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 02:15 - Why founders avoid sales

* 08:00 - Where the pressure should actually come from

* 16:00 - What goes into a sales playbook

* 24:30 - The five-part pattern that makes it repeatable

* 33:00 - Where the data actually comes from

* 38:00 - Frivolous Thoughts



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zerototraction.substack.com
See all episodes