Would you hire a salesperson as a developer, engineer, or teacher?

No? Ok, so where's the logic in believing developers, engineers, or school teachers can suddenly become good salespeople for your B2B tech or edtech startup?

I understand. As a founder it's tempting — especially if you've never been a salesperson — to think anyone can do sales.

I get it. You think this way partly out of necessity, and partly because you believe you can see which of your fellow founders or hired subject matter experts (SMEs) seems to be "wired" to do sales. You may even resort to drawing straws.

Who can blame you? You need sales to survive. And, honestly, don't we all on some level believe that anyone can do sales, especially people who are smart enough to be called SMEs?

Here's the (not so) bold assertion.

Four decades in business has taught me that not everyone can do sales.

A Profession Unlike Any Other

Sales is a profession. If you're unsure of the truth of that statement, the rest of this really is for you.

And like any other profession, sales skills can be taught and learned. However, sales is a role that has some very unique requirements beyond job skills.

Sales takes a certain psychological profile. It takes a thick skin, a broad grin, a desire to solve problems in the service of others, and an inner strength to endure the kind of rejection and even disrespect that causes mere mortals to cower.

This article shares how I think about the noble profession of sales. Next week's post will offer advice and techniques for interviewing sales candidates.

Tickets Please

As a leader, you're your company's bus driver (see Good To Great, J. Collins).

As the driver, you already know that you must do everything you can to get the right people on your bus and into the right seats.

Getting good people on the bus and then putting them in the wrong seats is a formula for failure.

That's what tends to happen when you ask (or require) a SME with little to no sales experience to become a sales rep. Failure. And let's be 100% clear on this point. That failure is yours, not theirs.

It's tempting to think anyone can sell, especially the smart people you already know and have around you. They know the company. They know the product or service. They know your differentiators, the competitors, and how to quantify your value proposition. They know everything. All they need to do now is start selling, right?

Sure. If it works, that's great. It's also rare.

Let's look at an example of how the decision to put a SME into a sales seat tends to work out.

The View from the Wrong Seat

Edtech firms are among the companies I admire most. They are extraordinarily mission driven, focused on delivering value that benefits society, and populated with the smartest and most caring entrepreneurs you're likely to meet anywhere.

Edtech firms are commonly started by and hire educators and administrators precisely because they're subject matter experts. It's a smart move.

Where it tends to go sideways is when those teachers and administrators either volunteer or are asked to take on a sales role, especially if it's their first sales role.

The decision seems reasonable on the surface. These people have lived in and walked in the shoes of their prospects. They should have no trouble making connections and getting buying decisions.

If only it were that simple.

It's not just edtech, of course. Regardless of the business you're in, it's tempting to think the SME with the most engaging personality, thickest skin, and strongest desire to sell is qualified to start selling.

Proceed cautiously. If you're going to change their seat assignment, be sure the KPIs and goals are clearly established and achievable. Be sure you have a rock-solid definition and database of prospect accounts and buyers who fit your ideal customer profile (ICP). Be sure you've equipped them with tech and assets, including sales playbooks. It is, after all, your job as a leader to equip them and to help them to succeed.

What Seat Are You In?

And speaking of the wrong seat, if you've never been a sales rep or led a sales team, I'm just going to give it to you straight: Your odds for success aren't great.

Just like lots of people think anyone can be a sales rep, it often seems that there are even more people who think they can lead teams of salespeople even if they've never done it before.

Again, the corollary is, "Would you ask an accountant to lead the development team?"

I'm not saying SMEs being moved into the sales seat or founders sitting in the sales leader's seat part-time never works out well. It's just that the odds are long and get longer when what's missing is someone on your leadership team with sales and sales leadership experience.

Like any other part of your business, you need someone with the necessary experience for the job. You need someone who has developed strategy, created process, built sales teams, and who can legitimately own sales skills development, to name just a few of the functions critical to sales success.

All Aboard!

Getting the right people into the right seats is how you'll get to where you want to go.

My advice when it comes to sales is this:

• Appreciate that you wanting your SMEs with little to no sales experience to do sales and your SMEs being successful at sales are two different things.
• Never lose sight of the fact that some of the people on your bus need to be sales professionals (any and all claims and promises of product-led growth notwithstanding).
• Sales is no different than any other profession — not everyone can do it.

I get it. Money is always an issue. Here's some tough love.

If, for example, you're a tech startup and you're trying to decide between spending money to hire salespeople versus hiring developers, hire salespeople. You may be thinking and maybe already have outsourced prospecting.

I'm not saying that never works. What I am saying is this.

Which role is closest to your customers and is the only one that produces revenue?