The Sales Playbook for Founders | Startup School

In this monologue podcast, Tom Blomfield discusses common mistakes B2B founders make in the sales process, particularly focusing on early-stage companies. He outlines the typical progression from poorly defined, lengthy, unpaid design partnerships to a rapid, well-defined sales process resulting in recurring revenue. Blomfield advises founders to avoid getting stuck in prolonged design partnerships and instead focus on identifying a narrow, burning problem to solve with a minimal viable product. He also covers the pitfalls of free trials and pilots, advocating for shorter, paid commitments and emphasizing the importance of defining clear success metrics and value equations with customers. Ultimately, he champions the "pro move" of securing recurring revenue contracts with opt-out periods and provides actionable tips on customer success, security certifications, and navigating the sales process.