Bad at Sales? Stop Selling Like an Ex-CRO

What Everyone Says

Founder-led sales means you become the closer. Pitch hard, sell the vision before the product is ready, and fake the confidence until it's real. That's the advice early founders hear, usually from people who are naturally good at sales.

Why That's Wrong

It assumes every founder has the same strengths. If you're an engineer, an introvert or a first-time founder with no name in your market, copying the charismatic seller puts you in a game you're set up to lose.

And selling the vision has a cost people skip. If a customer buys what you promised and the product can't do it yet, you lose more than the deal. You lose their trust. Early on, trust is the only brand you have.

What David Did Instead

David Zhu is an engineer and an introvert. Reevo is his fifth startup, but his first as founder and CEO. On sales, he doesn't hedge: "I wasn't good at it. I was actually terrible at it."

He also knew what he lacked. He wasn't an ex-CRO who could announce a startup and sign customers on reputation alone. "I don't have that distribution advantage and I know it, and it's okay. We play towards our strengths."

So he did three things.

1. He opened, and let a better seller close. Reevo's founding team of 14 included a founding sales leader from HubSpot. David might be "the first call," but the sales leader is "the guy that closes the deal."
2. He copied what worked. "We just try to replicate the best behaviors that he exemplified." That sales leader now runs enablement for Reevo's team of 12 to 15 AEs.
3. He sold only what was true. "I struggle to sell forward. I like to sell what is factual." His worry is a customer trying the product and saying "well, it doesn't do what you say it does."

He still isn't a natural. He says he's "constantly learning from others who are way better than I am" at selling. But Reevo now serves "hundreds of customers" without paid marketing.

The Principle Underneath

David's line: "You gotta figure out a way as a founder to win by not playing the game that others play and are afraid to lose."

If sales isn't your strength, compete on what is. For David, that meant engineering and a product good enough to back up every claim. He sees trust as a long game: "trust equals consistency over time."

Selling only what's true feels slower at first. But every promise you keep adds up, and when you have no brand, that's how you build one.

Should You Do This?

Do this if selling drains you and you've been forcing a style that isn't yours. You still have to do founder-led sales. David did. But you can run the first call your way and pitch only what the product does today.

Skip the closer part if you can't afford one yet. Record your calls instead and compare them with someone who sells well, like a cofounder, an advisor or a friend in sales.

One question decides it: on your last 5 sales calls, did you promise anything the product can't do yet? If yes, start there.