sales

name	sales
description	Build from founder-led selling to scalable sales engine—match methodology to situation with MEDDIC for enterprise, BANT for SMB, and Challenger for differentiated products. Cold outreach sequences with specific timing and target metrics. Use when designing sales processes, writing outreach, or scaling from founder-led to team-led sales.

Sales

Core Principle

Sales isn't convincing people to buy something they don't want. It's finding people who already have the problem and showing them a better path.

Founder-Led Sales → Scalable Engine

The Four Stages

Stage 1: Founder closes every deal (0-10 customers)
  → Learn the sales motion, objections, and buying triggers

Stage 2: Founder + first hire (10-30 customers)
  → Document the playbook, hire someone to run it

Stage 3: Small team with process (30-100 customers)
  → Repeatable pipeline, CRM discipline, weekly metrics

Stage 4: Scalable engine (100+ customers)
  → Specialized roles (SDR, AE, CS), quota-based management

Methodology Selection

Match the Method to the Situation

Situation	Methodology	Why
Complex enterprise, $50K+ ACV	MEDDIC	Multiple stakeholders, long cycles need qualification rigor
Quick SMB qualification, < $10K ACV	BANT	Fast yes/no decision on whether to pursue
Differentiated product, new category	Challenger	You need to teach buyers why the status quo is risky
Transactional, high volume	SPIN	Surface pain through questions, move fast

MEDDIC Framework (Enterprise)

M — Metrics: What's the measurable impact of solving this?
E — Economic Buyer: Who signs the check?
D — Decision Criteria: What are they evaluating on?
D — Decision Process: What are the steps to close?
I — Identify Pain: What specific pain drives this purchase?
C — Champion: Who inside will fight for you?

BANT Framework (SMB)

B — Budget: Do they have money allocated?
A — Authority: Am I talking to the decision maker?
N — Need: Is the pain urgent enough to act?
T — Timeline: When do they need this solved?

Disqualify fast: If 2+ are missing, move on.

Challenger Sale (New Categories)

1. Teach — Share an insight they didn't know about their problem
2. Tailor — Connect the insight to their specific situation
3. Take control — Guide the buying process, don't be passive

Cold Outreach Sequences

Email Sequence (5 touches over 14 days)

Day 1: Pain-based opener (no pitch)
  Subject: "[Specific pain point] at [Company]?"
  Body: 2-3 sentences about the problem. One question.

Day 3: Value proof
  Subject: Re: [previous subject]
  Body: "Company X solved this and saw [result]. Here's how."

Day 7: Different angle
  Subject: New subject line, different pain point or persona
  Body: Brief case study or metric. Soft CTA.

Day 10: Breakup preview
  Subject: "Should I close your file?"
  Body: "Seems like timing isn't right. Wanted to check before I stop reaching out."

Day 14: Breakup
  Subject: "Closing the loop"
  Body: "Moving on, but here's [resource] in case it's helpful later."

Target Metrics

Metric	Target	Red Flag
Open rate	40-60%	< 25% (subject lines need work)
Reply rate	8-15%	< 5% (messaging or targeting issue)
Meeting booked rate	3-5% of sequence	< 1% (revisit ICP or value prop)
Show rate	80%+	< 60% (confirmation flow broken)

LinkedIn Outreach (Parallel Track)

Day 0: View their profile
Day 1: Connect request (no note or very brief note)
Day 3: After connection, send a relevant insight (not a pitch)
Day 7: Share content relevant to their challenge
Day 10: Soft ask for conversation

Pipeline Management

Stage        → Criteria to advance          → Probability
Prospecting  → Identified as ICP match      → 10%
Discovery    → Pain confirmed, stakeholder   → 20%
Evaluation   → Demo given, criteria met      → 40%
Proposal     → Pricing delivered             → 60%
Negotiation  → Terms under discussion        → 80%
Closed Won   → Signed                        → 100%

Anti-Patterns

Sales Theater	Real Sales
"Let me show you our features"	"Tell me about [their problem]"
Pitching in the first email	Leading with insight or a question
"Following up" with no new value	Each touch adds a new angle or proof point
No CRM, deals in your head	Every deal tracked with stage and next action
Discounting to close	Selling value, walking away if fit isn't there

Power Move

"Design a complete outbound sequence for [ICP] selling [product at $X ACV]. Choose the right methodology (MEDDIC, BANT, or Challenger), write the 5-email sequence, define pipeline stages, and set the target metrics I should track weekly."

The agent becomes your sales architect — building a repeatable process, not just individual pitches.