15.387  Entrepreneurial Sales

Guidelines for Papers

Feedback to consider when writing your papers for the final interview...

Guiding Questions
* What process does the sales manager use to evaluate and hire talent
* How successful has he been as a sales manager
* What systems does he use to manage his team
* What lessons has he learned and what advice might he have for you

To Avoid
Platitudes & generic statements

Announced on 05 May 2015  6:30  p.m. by Zachary A Corker

Feedback on Pitches

Brave saleswomen & salesmen,

Good work by all teams in the pitch competition. Lou and I certainly enjoyed seeing the results of everyone's preperation and creativity. Hope you valued the excercise as well.

As promised, some general feedback and things to keep in mind for your next elevator ride:

Done Well

• Focus on the customer
  Good --> identify customer profile + value prop
  Better --> reference company that fits profile
  Best --> point to successful pilot

• Create perception of scarcity
  e.g. "We're meeting with investors A & B next week, would love to speak with you before then."

• Product / Domain knowledge
  All teams did their HW here, great job all around

• Pathos appeal
  Esp. well done by Zype teams pitching to Ms. Katie Couric

Keep in Mind for Next Time

• Remember this is a conversation with a person
  Lead by asking if the person has a moment (basic manners, get an early yes), only a few teams introduced themselves to Lou and offered to shake his hand

• Sell the team
  Why you guys? What's your unfair advantage?

• Close on next steps
  Your objective is a follow-up meeting; don't forget to confirm interest!

• Personal connect
  3 min goes quick though spending half your time building rapport is not unreasonable

• Take risks but be mindful of consequences
  You're selling a startup and taking risks comes with the territory, however remain mindful of likely audience reactions (e.g. foul language)

How Not to Pitch a Billionaire

StartUp: Episode #1 --> http://gimletmedia.com/episode/1-how-not-to-pitch-a-billionaire/

An example of a pitch gone terribly wrong (@12:30) and the same pitch delivered by a pro (@18:15)

Announced on 06 March 2015  9:08  a.m. by Zachary A Corker

Elevator Pitch Competition

The Elevator Pitch assignment is now available via Stellar.

Please sign-up in teams of four by end-of-day Thursday (2/26). Your team will then be assigned one of two companies (Docker or LiquiGlide) to pitch during class on Thursday 3/5.

Big stakes here -- the winning team will be invited to an end-of-term dinner with Lou, Dennis, Kirk, and the TAs. Second prize is a check +. Third prize is...

Good luck!

Zac & Ethan

Announced on 24 February 2015  3:06  p.m. by Zachary A Corker

Housekeeping

Brave Saleswomen & Salesmen,

For the benefit of those who were absent or late today, quick recap of today's announcements:

***Syllabus***
Your best resource for course related information. If you have questions, please email Ethan and I.

***Video Assignments***
Each of you is responsible for completing 4 video role play assignments. In each, you need to play the role of both the salesperson and the customer. This was a bit unclear; a new version of the syllabus is now on Stellar and we won't ding any late submissions for video 1.

***Attendance & Due Dates***
We understand that things come up, and we want everyone to know that one or two absences or late assignments is not going to hurt anyone's grade. If you're missing class just shoot us a heads up in advance, and while we we can't offer extensions on due dates, know that what's important is the pattern you establish over the course of the semester.

ABC,
Zac & Ethan

Announced on 19 February 2015  9:13  a.m. by Zachary A Corker

Welcome to Sales

Brave Salesmen & Saleswomen,

Welcome to 15.387!

This course is meant to help you learn about the entrepreneurial sales process and about different aspects of managing a sales force.

We're writing to share a bit of additional information regarding course expectations and how to get the most out of the semester.

***Attendance & Participation***
The single most important component of both your grade and your learning. Come to class, come prepared, and make an effort to contribute to every discussion. Don’t simply regurgitate case facts; Do share your own experiences and engage directly with (dare we say challenge?) your classmates and instructors.

***Sales Interview Write-Ups***
Short (2pp max) but important; find an interesting subject and don’t wait until the last minute.

***Case Write-Ups***
Short assignments (1-2pp) should take no more than 45 min, and are designed to get you thinking about solutions to the central problem of the case. Don’t be preoccupied with grading; 90% of all assignments receive a Check; Check+ reserved for exceptional insights, Check- for lack of effort.

***Class Competitions***
These are the wildcards; gold, glory and dinner with the profs to the victors. Two opportunities to win: the Elevator Pitch Competition (team) and Sales Simulation (individual).

Very much looking forward to our time together this spring, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to your TAs with any questions!

Best,
Zac & Ethan

Announced on 18 February 2015  8:17  a.m. by Zachary A Corker