Decoding Sales

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Peter just finished recording his audiobook for Unlocking Authentic Sales! While it won't be out for another few months, he's sharing the Foreword (written by our very own Alex Allain) and Introduction here with you all so that you can get a sneak peek into the book!

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To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

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In the first couple of weeks of joining TigerBeetle, Peter got together with Alex to discuss TigerBeetle and its positioning. In this dynamic conversation, Alex puts Peter on the spot with the TigerBeetle pitch and provides feedback while also trying his own version! 

As they build the story arc together you'll notice some key elements that can be useful for any pitch:

1. Encapsulating an undeniable trend happening today 
2. Describing the pains companies face while keeping up with that trend
3. Providing a compelling reason why your technology can help with those pains
4. Ending with a strong impact statement around what adopting your tech means for the business

A huge thank you to Joran Greef, Marina Pape, Lewis Daly, and the entire TigerBeetle team for allowing us to use this material and for such a warm welcome to Peter in his first couple of months joining! 

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

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I sat down with Harry and Uddhav from The Inflection Group - the recruiting firm behind successful hires at Coinbase, Pinterest, Snowflake, and more.

We dive deep into the biggest startup hiring questions: 

• When should you actually hire your first salesperson? 
• How do you avoid the "halo company" trap?
• Why do first sales hires fail so often?

They share stories from 300+ executive searches and explain why being brutally honest about your startup's challenges actually attracts better candidates. Plus, they reveal tactical hiring tricks that work - like putting real prospect objections in your job description. This is essential listening for any founder thinking about their first go-to-market hire.

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

Send a text

Mason Fuerst, founder and CEO of Motiv (motivai.us) sits down with Peter to break down how he approaches outbound sales in an authentic way. 

With all the noise out there today around how to do outbound it's rare to find something that works, but Mason's mentality around creating genuine connections has worked to produce quality pipeline for his AI startup. 

Peter and Mason cover:

• What didn't work for Mason
• The lightbulb moment that changed Mason's outlook on outbound sales
• A deeper look into the tactical steps Mason takes to create meaningful connections on LinkedIn

For Mason's free PDF guide breaking down his outbound approach, connect with either him or Peter on LinkedIn and they'll DM you a copy! 

More on Motiv:

Motiv is a software company building advanced AI agents for recruiting. Each agent specializes in a specific part of the hiring process, helping teams free up more time for higher output activities. The agents are trained to mimic your decision-making process so that it can think the same way you would. They also continuously learn from your feedback. Becoming faster and more intelligent with time. These agents act as new additions to the team without the added headcount and salary that comes with a new hire. Learn more by visiting motivai.us! 

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

Send a text

In this episode Alex and Peter ask, "Is it OK to lie to customers? And if so, when?"

They dive into: 

• An experience Alex's friend had with a sales lie
• What to do when a salesperson lies
• How to spot lying salespeople before and after they join a team

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

Send a text

Peter and Alex dive into Peter's thoughts on design partnerships and their impact on startups.

They discuss:

• The pressure from VCs to sign more design partners
• Why not all design partnerships are helpful
• Why you should charge for design partnerships
• When free design partnerships are acceptable
• The value of saying no to certain design partners

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

Send a text

In this repurposed episode from Peter's YouTube channel, he sits down with Hyperbound's cofounders Sriharsha Guduguntla and Atul Raghunathan. 

They discuss: 

• The evolution of AI in sales
• How to actually evaluate AI tools (without getting caught in the hype)
• The challenges and rewards of navigating founder-led sales
• The state of diversity within tech sales
• Other AI platforms Sriharsha and Atul are keeping an eye on

You can try Hyperbound for free here.

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

Send a text

As a solo host, Peter tries his best to fill Alex's shoes :) 

He sits down with YC W24 founders of Centralize, Rachit Kataria and William Wang, to discuss their founder-led sales journey and approach. They discuss:

• Their approach to relationship-based selling
• The challenges and opportunities of selling to GTM leaders
• Creative outbound strategies they've leveraged
• How they think about hiring their first seller

Visit Centralize's website to learn more about Rachit and William's vision. They've built an AI-powered deal collaboration platform that focuses on mapping key stakeholders, understanding them, and how to leverage each to get strategic deals done. 

Special shout out to Will Thoni (Sales at Langchain) for making this connection! 

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

Send a text

Waseem Daher (Ex-Dropbox and Founder of Pilot.com) sits down with Peter Ahn and Alex Allain of Decoding Sales to discuss learnings from his founder-led sales journey. 

They discuss:
• The importance of founders being involved in closing a startup's first customers
• How to think through hiring your first salesperson
• What the right profile is for sales hire #1
• How to know when to fire salespeople who aren't working out
• Lead gen tactics for startups and the power of word of mouth

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!

Send a text

At the end of the year, Peter and Alex look back on what Peter's learned coaching startups and three places he's changed his mind.

They cover: 

• Peter's new thoughts on BANT and MEDDIC as discovery and sales qualification frameworks. (Originally discussed in the BANT and MEDDIC episode from December of 2022)
• Why Salesforce may not be the best CRM to start with if you're an early stage founder (originally discussed in in the CRM 101 episode from 2021)
• The changing archetype of what makes a great first sales hire (from the The First Sales Hire episode, also from 2021!)

Support the show

To get more sales advice from Peter, Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, check out Peter Ahn Sales School and purchase Peter's newly published book, Unlocking Authentic Sales!