Building the Sales Machine with Pete Kazanjy, Author of Founding Sales | IO Podcast

In this episode, Pete Kazanjy—author of Founding Sales and a veteran sales leader—joins hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow to share a crash course in founder-led sales, explaining why early-stage founders must take charge of selling before hiring sales reps. He breaks down the key mindset shifts for technical founders, how sales is like “weaponized product management,” and when it’s time to delegate lead generation.

If you're a startup founder looking to master sales we highly recommend this episode. Pete's book which can be found for free online at foundingsales.com

Chapters:

06:11 Objection Handling and Sales Narrative Crafting

12:48 Validation through Founder-Led Sales Approach

16:55 Founder's hands-on role in scalable sales.

22:09 Tailoring Outreach Strategies for Target Audiences

29:49 LinkedIn Prospect Engagement for Founder Outreach Success

35:15 Empathetic Approach to Sales Conversations

42:10 Effective Sales Strategies for Closing Deals

47:31 Hiring Early Stage Salespeople for Startups

54:12 Product-Obsessed Pioneers in Organizations

58:26 Packaging Tactical Solutions for Customer Pain Points