Startups seem to be disadvantaged in sales and marketing because of their small budget and smaller teams. But startups have unique strengths they can leverage to beat event the largest players in their markets

1. April Dunford @aprildunford
Small Budget, Big Impact
Sales & Marketing Jujitsu
for Startups

2. Who am I and Why Should You Care?
6 Startups
4 exits
Some Big Companies
9 Product Launches
Currently: COO Tulip Retail
@aprildunford

3. Using an Opponents’ Energy Against Them,
Rather than Directly Opposing it.
Jujitsu is the Art of

4. Big Companies Seem Powerful

5. Team: Gigantic
Budget: Massive
Customer base: Bazillions
Brand Recognition: Everyone
Products: Families of Full-Featured
Products
Ecosystem: SI’s, ISV’s, VAR’s,
Extension Providers
Team: Tiny, Sleep deprived
Budget: Nonexistent
Customer base: Your Mom
Brand Recognition: Not Even Your Mom
Products: An MVP that does pretty
much nothing
Ecosystem: You don’t know what that
means but you’re pretty sure you
don’t have one
Big Company XYZ Your Startup

6. But Those Strengths Are Also Weaknesses

7. Team: Gigantic
Budget: Massive
Customer base: Bazillions
Brand Recognition: Everyone
Products: Many, Full-Featured
Products
Ecosystem: SI’s, ISV’s, VAR’s,
Extension Providers
Slowed by bureaucracy and politics
Wasted on ineffective generic tactics
Few personal relationships with them
Can’t move outside that brand
Bloated, overly complex products that
even employees don’t understand
Market feedback loop is slow and
ineffective
Big Company Strength But…

8. Startups Have Unique Strengths

9. But Not All Startups Leverage Them

10. How Do We
Do That?

11. Be Smarter

12. Talking to Prospects is So Easy
(You Should Try it)

13. Ask Open Ended Questions
Customer Discovery Tips
Focus on Problems (Not Solutions)
Talk Less, Listen More
DO NOT SELL

14. Be
More
Focused

15. Choosing a Market
What is it about your Segment that
makes them love your Product?
What is it about your Product that
makes it loved by your Segment?

16. Worry about
the Next 10
Don’t Worry
About How to
Get 1,000,000
Customers

17. Founder-Sell Early Customers
Because Everyone Loves a Non-Salesy Sales Person

18. Understand The Buying Process
No Need Need Eval Buy Enjoy Re-new
Knowing
the cost of
not solving
the
problem
Knowing
the Value
of solving
the
problem
Knowing
the value of
your
solution
Why
purchase
now?
Using and
enjoy the
offering
Knowing I
can’t do
without the
offering
Current
solution
good
enough
Value not
compelling
Risks too
high
Not
knowing
how to
evaluate
Great but
not for me
I might
change my
mind
Too much
$
Bad
service,
Bad user
experience
Not using
Decided
there was
no need
Move to
other
solution
Accelerators
Friction points

19. Mapping Marketing The Buying Process
Buying Stage
No Need, Need Eval, Buy Enjoy, Refer, Renew
What Problem-Focused
Content and Programs
Solution-Focused Content
and Programs
Activation &
Engagement-focused
Content, Programs
Examples Articles, blog posts,
Industry data, trend
reports, curated
content
Articles, blog posts,
webinars, events, case
studies, ROI calculators,
advertising
Support content, How
to guides, Best
practices guides
Forums, User
Conferences
Where Where prospects are Partly where they are,
partly your turf
Mainly your turf
Purpose Entertain, Educate,
Engage
Educate, differentiate,
move to eval or sell
Experience value,
create raving fans
Action Permission to “market”:
likes, follows,
newsletter/blog
signups
Permission to “sell”: give
contact info, trial sign-up,
purchase
Renewals, Referrals

20. Be Faster

21. Implement a Rapid Cycle
Document
Inputs,
Assumptions
Choose
Tactics
Execute
Tactics
Measure
Results
Analyze and
Check
Assumptions
• Segmentation
• Buying Process
• Accelerators/
Friction Points

22. Be Good

23. Big Companies Are Hard to Love
(because we care about different things)

24. Stand for What
Your Customers
Care About

25. Fans and Community Extend Your Reach

26. Love Early Customers Like
You Would Die Without Them
(Because You Will)

27. Go Be Your Best Ninja Self

28. Questions?
@aprildunford
Rocketwatcher.com
Tulip.io