Entrepreneur Conversations
Many founders had to learn selling without ever having planned to
Most people who start a business know their craft better than they know how to sell it. They learn by speaking to customers, making mistakes and noticing what works. In this session a practising entrepreneur describes how they learned: the early awkwardness, the conversations that went nowhere, what they changed and what they still find difficult. Then the room asks.
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Selling is the skill many owners feel least ready for and talk about least.
People often start a business because they are good at making, cooking, teaching, repairing or designing. Few are trained in selling, and many dislike it. They assume it is a talent some people are born with, and quietly hope that quality will speak for itself.
A founder who has learned it can describe the early stage without polish: the first calls, the pitches that went badly, the follow-up they forgot and the point at which something changed. That helps others who are in that stage now.
The session does not teach a sales method. It gives the room one honest account of learning, with a chance to ask how the founder would handle situations the room is facing.
What the speaker is briefed to be candid about
35 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts of learning to sell, from the first attempt to the present.
What They Thought Selling WasThe starting view.5
- What they believed about selling before they began
- What they disliked about it, and why
- Whether they had any experience, formal or informal
- What they expected the product or service to do on its own
- When they first realised that was not enough
The First AttemptsAwkward, and instructive.5
- How they approached their first customers
- What they said, and what they now think was wrong with it
- How it felt to be turned down
- What they did after the first rejection
- What they did not ask, and wish they had
The earliest customers are covered separately in the 'first ten customers' conversation. This one is about learning the skill.
Listening to the CustomerThe change that matters most to many owners.5
- When they began asking questions instead of presenting
- What they learned about why people buy and why they do not
- A customer's remark that changed how they explained things
- How they found out what the customer was really worried about
- How listening changed what they offered
Price and Following UpTwo areas where owners struggle.5
The speaker describes their own approach and what happened. No pricing formula is given, and nothing here is advice on what any business should charge.
- How they came to talk about price, and how it felt to say it aloud
- A time they lowered it, and what happened
- How they follow up, and how often
- What they learned about silence from a customer
- How they decide when to stop chasing
Who They Learned FromWithout a course or a manual.5
- People they watched or asked, such as a customer, another owner or a colleague
- What they read or tried, and what was a waste of time
- How they practised before important meetings
- How they got honest feedback on their own selling
- What they would tell a founder who is shy about it
The speaker is not asked to recommend any course, book, tool or trainer.
Bad Habits and What Remains HardNobody finishes learning.5
- Habits they had to unlearn
- Customers they should not have taken on
- Situations that still make them uncomfortable
- What they delegate or avoid, and why
- What they are still working on
Selling as the Business GrowsWhen it is no longer only the founder.5
- What happened when someone else began to sell for them
- What was hard to explain or hand over
- What the founder still insists on doing personally
- What they would write down for a new person
- How their own view of selling has changed
What the founder prepares
- A short account of learning to sell, with a few specific situations
- One thing they got badly wrong and what they took from it
- What they do differently now in a first conversation
- A willingness to say what they still find difficult
What the room can ask
- How did you deal with being turned down?
- How did you learn to talk about price?
- How many times do you follow up before stopping?
- What would you tell somebody who hates selling?
- What would you practise first, if you were starting again?
How the session runs
The founder speaks for about fifteen minutes from notes, and the rest of the time goes to questions. Where the host wishes, a short practice exercise can follow in which participants explain what they do to a partner in two minutes and ask what was unclear; it is optional, and nobody is made to take part. The speaker is briefed beforehand to describe their experience and not to promote their business, a course or a tool. A facilitator keeps the conversation moving. The length and group are agreed with the host in advance.
What your students leave with
- A realistic picture of how one founder learned to sell, step by step
- An understanding of the common early mistakes, from someone who made them
- Ideas for practising customer conversations before the stakes are high
- A clearer view of the difference between talking and listening to a customer
- Questions to ask yourself about how you follow up
- A less intimidating view of selling as a skill that can be learned
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Hear how a founder learned to sell, and what they are still learning.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.