A Podcast Episode That Stuck With Me

This week’s Dalton & Michael episode explained it well

This week’s Dalton & Michael episode really clicked for me, especially around sales and problem‑solving, so I wanted to share a quick summary.

1. Core Idea

What Great Sales Really Is

• Good sales does not feel like sales

• It feels like:

  • Helping someone

  • Solving a real problem

  • A fair trade where both sides win

---

Turn Signups Into Insights. Interview every person who joins your waitlist.

Replace passive email collection with Sol Avery interviews. Understand your market before writing a single line of code

---

2. Common Sales Mistakes Founders Make

Wrong Mental Model

• Founders imagine sales as:

  • Used‑car sales

  • Pushy, manipulative talking

• This makes them:

  • Avoid sales

  • Do sales poorly

  • Feel uncomfortable helping customers

Talking Instead of Listening

• Sales becomes a monologue

• Founders:

  • List features

  • Talk too much

  • Don’t ask enough questions

• Result:

  • They miss the real problem

Discounting Too Early

• Cutting prices does not create desire

• If someone doesn’t want the product:

  • Discounts make it look suspicious

  • Customers think: “What’s wrong with this?”

• Pricing talks are useless if value is unclear

---

3. What Good Sales Looks Like

Problem‑First Approach

• Customer brings a problem

• Seller:

  • Listens carefully

  • Understands context

  • Tries to genuinely help

• Outcome:

  • Customer feels relief

  • Paying feels natural

Empathy Over Persuasion

• Best salespeople:

  • Talk less

  • Listen more

  • Are empathetic

• They make the customer feel:

  • Understood

  • Supported

  • Respected

Sales = Problem Solving

• Founders solve problems all day internally

• They should do the same thing in sales

• Same mindset:

  • Diagnose

  • Explore options

  • Adjust solutions

---

4. Understanding the Customer Deeply

Customers Often Don’t Know the Solution

• Customers may:

  • Know they have a problem

  • Not know how to fix it

• Blindly doing what the customer asks:

  • Can hurt their business

  • Can destroy long‑term value

Put Yourself in the Customer’s Shoes (For Real)

• Don’t say “yeah yeah”

• Actually imagine:

  • Their inbox

  • Their boss

  • Their meetings

  • Their pressure

• Ask:

  • What are their top 3 problems?

  • Does my product really help?

---

5. Founder vs Sales Team Misconceptions

Hiring a VP of Sales Won’t Fix Everything

• Common belief:

  • “I’ll hire a VP of Sales and be done”

• Reality:

  • Most VPs are good at managing teams

  • Not inventing sales from scratch

• Early sales:

  • Must be founder‑led

Enterprise Sales Reality

• Big deals:

  • Are founder‑driven

  • Require CEO involvement

• Junior salespeople:

  • Rarely close major enterprise deals alone

• Sales teams should:

  • Multiply founder effort

  • Not replace it

---

6. Consulting Is Not the Enemy

The Myth

• “Consulting is bad”

• Many founders dismiss opportunities too quickly

The Real Issue

• Bad consulting = building:

  • One‑off

  • Custom

  • Non‑repeatable software

• Good early work:

  • Teaches the real problem

  • Leads to product insights

Gray Area Is Normal

• Early startups:

  • Learn through deep integrations

  • Learn through hands‑on work

• Many “consulting‑like” efforts:

  • Become strong moats later

---

7. Big Takeaways

Principle 1: Solve Real Problems

• If you are not helping customers:

  • You won’t win long‑term

• Sales should feel like:

  • Relief for the customer

Principle 2: Trade Must Benefit Both Sides

• A real deal means:

  • Customer wins

  • Company wins

• Revenue alone does not mean success

Final Message

• Do right by your customers

• Sales is not trickery

• Sales is honest problem solving

---

Turn Signups Into Insights. Interview every person who joins your waitlist.

Replace passive email collection with Sol Avery interviews. Understand your market before writing a single line of code.

---