Founders who sell, win.

I believe founders should sell.

Not forever. But in the beginning, absolutely.

Nobody knows the customer, product, problem, or story better than you. And nobody you’ll ever hire will care as much as you do.

Sales is storytelling. You already tell your story to investors, candidates, employees, and anyone else you convince to believe in what you’re building. Customers aren’t fundamentally different.

You know why you built this. Tell them.

No one can tell your story as authentically as you. Don’t outsource this too early.

Every conversation teaches you something. Why did they show up? What do they care about? Why do they buy? Why don’t they? You need to learn that before you hand selling to someone else.

Fortunately, sales is binary. People buy or they don’t. Unfortunately, most people don’t.

That’s okay. Your job isn’t to convince everyone. Figure out who might actually buy and stop wasting time on everyone else.

Sales is not about getting people to say yes. It’s about getting people to say no.

Founders keep bad deals alive because they want them to be real. Don’t. Ask why it won’t close. Ask what’s missing. Ask the uncomfortable question.

A fast no gives you your time back. Spend it on someone who might actually buy.

Founder prospecting comes first. VPs and BDRs come later. In the early days, throw darts. Don’t cast nets.

Before you hire BDRs to blast thousands of emails, find the companies that should absolutely buy what you’re building. Then find a way in.

Ask for introductions. And when you ask, do the work for the person helping you. Write the intro. Give them the context. Make it easy to forward. Don’t turn your ask into someone else’s homework.

That’s part of why we’re building Batch. YC founders already help each other open doors. We’re making it easier to ask.

Your customers are your best salespeople. If every happy customer brings you two more, you don’t need much of a sales machine. But earn the right to ask first.

Make them crazy successful. Then ask who else should know about you. Who else has this problem? Who should I talk to? Would you introduce us?

That’s the social contract. You make them successful. They help you find more customers. Don’t hide the ask.

There are really only three reasons someone doesn’t buy: they don’t have the problem, the problem isn’t worth solving, or they don’t believe you’re qualified to solve it.

Don’t take it personally. Figure out which one it is. Ask directly.

No and no decision are different. If they’re undecided, they may not know if they have the problem, whether it’s worth solving, or whether you can solve it. You’re still missing clarity on one of the same three things.

What’s holding you back? What would need to be true to move forward? Is this important enough to solve right now? Don’t guess. Ask.

Sales is a give/get. As you give more, ask for more in return.

If I build the custom demo, bring the decision maker. If I pull in my team, pull in yours. And if you’re not feeling the love, say it.

We think our bells and whistles are special. Prospects don’t care. You care about your features. Your prospect cares about their problem.

Don’t be a salesperson. Be a doctor. Why did you show up? What’s going on? How can I help? Diagnose before you prescribe.

The demo is just a second qualification call, in disguise. Show what matters. Skip what doesn’t.

Your job is also binary: help people evaluate, or help people buy.

If you don’t know which one you’re doing, ask. Are we still deciding whether this solves the problem? Or have we decided and now we’re figuring out how to buy it? Those are different jobs. Don’t keep selling someone who’s already trying to buy.

And don’t treat procurement like the enemy. Their job is to buy your product. They’re there because someone is trying to buy. Help them.

In sales, no is the second-best thing to a yes. Take your no’s seriously. Learn from them, deeply.

Why did you lose? Wrong customer? Wrong problem? Wrong timing? Wrong product? Wrong story? Learn. Then move on.

Give them something to believe in.

Find your own voice. Tell the truth. Tell your story. Ask good questions. Help the customer. Ask for the business.

Don’t become ‘a salesperson.’ Become better at selling as yourself.

YC founders have helped us a lot since Vendr went through S19. Customers. Candidates. Investors. Advice. Introductions.

Those little favors matter. Batch is a simple way to do more of them.

Need a door opened? Ask. Can you open one for a batchmate? Help.