/sales

name: sales
description: "Use this skill when the user needs to find their first customers, write cold outreach, build a prospect list, or close early sales. Covers founder-led sales methodology, outreach templates, personalization, LinkedIn strategy, and landing the first 100 customers."

Founder-Led Sales & Outreach

Your first 100 customers won't come from inbound. You have to go get them. This skill helps you build prospect lists, write outreach that gets replies, and close early sales — one person with a laptop and a compelling message.

> **If `ABOUT-ME.md` and/or `MY-ICP.md` exist in the project root**, read them before writing outreach. Lead with founder credibility from ABOUT-ME.md (Domain Expertise, Key Stories). Frame the message around ICP pain from MY-ICP.md (Their Pain, Their Language). If the founder has a strong network (ABOUT-ME.md Network & Distribution), prioritize warm channels over cold outreach.

Core Principles

• Your first 100 customers won't come from inbound. You have to go get them.
• Outreach that leads with "I built a thing" fails. Outreach that leads with "I noticed you have this problem" converts.
• Volume matters, but relevance matters more. 10 personalized messages beat 100 generic ones.
• Every reply — even a rejection — is data. Objections are product requirements in disguise.
• Founder-led sales is temporary. The goal is to learn the sales motion well enough to eventually hand it off or replace it with product-led growth.
• Consistency beats intensity. 10 messages a day, every day, for 30 days (300 messages) beats 300 messages in one blast.

Building a Prospect List

Where to Find Prospects

**LinkedIn (best for B2B SaaS):**

• Search by job title + industry + company size matching your ICP.
• Look at who follows your competitors.
• Check who's posting about the problem you solve.
• Groups related to your problem space.

**Communities:**

• Reddit: Search subreddits where your ICP hangs out. Look at who's asking questions your product answers.
• Indie Hackers, Hacker News: People building things often need tools.
• Slack/Discord communities in your niche.
• Facebook Groups (surprisingly active for many B2B niches).

**Review sites:**

• G2, Capterra: Look at who's reviewing competitor products — especially negative reviewers.
• Product Hunt: People who upvoted similar products.

**Job boards:**

• Companies hiring for roles that your product makes easier are actively feeling the pain.
• "Hiring a data analyst" = might need a better analytics tool.

**Existing networks:**

• Your own LinkedIn connections who match the ICP.
• Former colleagues, industry contacts.
• Alumni networks.

Prospect List Structure

Build a spreadsheet:

| Name | Title | Company | Company Size | Source | Email | LinkedIn | Pain Signal | Status | Last Contact | Response | Notes |

**Pain signal** is the most important column. It's the specific reason you believe THIS person has the problem you solve:

• "Posted on Reddit about struggling with X"
• "Left 2-star review of [Competitor] complaining about Y"
• "Hiring for a role that your product automates"
• "Company just raised Series A (scaling pain incoming)"
• "Commented on a LinkedIn post about the problem"

Finding Email Addresses

• Hunter.io: Find emails by domain.
• Apollo.io: Search + email + sequencing in one tool.
• LinkedIn connection + direct message (no email needed).
• Company website: Check /about, /team, or /contact pages.
• Pattern guessing: Most companies use firstname@domain.com or first.last@domain.com. Verify with Hunter or NeverBounce.

Minimum viable list: **100 prospects** before you start sending.

Writing Problem-First Messages

The Structure

[1-2 sentences showing you know THEM and THEIR problem]
[1 sentence connecting to your experience with that problem]
[1 sentence introducing your solution — what it does, not what it is]
[1 sentence with a specific, low-commitment ask]

Template

Subject: [Specific to their situation — NOT your product name]

Hi [First name],

I noticed [specific observation about them — their company, a post they
wrote, a job listing, a review they left]. [One sentence about why that
caught your attention, connecting it to a problem you understand.]

I ran into the same issue when I was [your relevant experience]. That's
why I built [Product] — it [one sentence on the specific outcome, not
features].

[Concrete proof point: "We've helped X companies reduce Y by Z%" or
"Here's a 2-minute demo: [link]"]

Would a quick 15-minute call make sense to see if this fits your situation?

[Your name]
[Product — one-line description]

Message Examples by Channel

**Cold email:**

Subject: re: your [specific pain signal]

Hi Sarah,

I saw your G2 review of [Competitor] — sounds like the reporting
limitations are costing your team real time. I heard the same thing
from 3 other marketing ops leads this month.

I built [Product] specifically to solve that gap — it [specific
outcome]. [Company X] cut their reporting time from 4 hours to 20
minutes.

Worth a 15-minute look? I can show you exactly how it'd work for
your setup.

— [Name]

**LinkedIn DM:**

Hi [Name] — I noticed you're leading [function] at [Company].
Curious: are you still using [current tool/process] for [task]?
I've been building something specifically for teams your size
and would love your take. No pitch — genuinely looking for feedback
from people doing this work daily.

**Community reply (Reddit, HN, Discord):**

I dealt with exactly this. [Share your genuine experience with the
problem — 2-3 sentences of value.] I actually ended up building a
tool to fix it for myself: [link]. Happy to answer questions if
you're exploring options.

What NOT to Do

• Don't lead with your product name, features, or company story.
• Don't send the same message to 500 people. Personalize at least the first two sentences.
• Don't use fake urgency ("Limited spots!") —