Dale Shephard: On a mission to provide Founders with access to flexible and commercially viable Sales & GTM expertise to fuel their growth.

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Sales often comes with a stigma—some people love it, some people hate it. For many, it conjures up images of shady tactics and smoke and mirrors. But B2B sales isn’t about any of that. It’s about people, relationships, and showing value in a credible way.

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When I work with founders, especially in the early stages or those with small teams, I see the same challenges come up repeatedly. One of the biggest is relying on memory and lacking the tools or processes to manage deals and prospects. As a founder spinning countless plates, this is incredibly hard to juggle.

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Having a system, even a simple one, changes everything. It helps you track where your deals are, who owns the next steps, and when to involve others from your team or network. It also equips you to guide your prospect through a process they might never have experienced before, making the entire journey smoother for both sides. Tools like CRM systems—or even a free Excel template from HubSpot—are great starting points.

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Another big challenge is leading with price instead of value. Focusing solely on price can reduce the conversation to writing a cheque, rather than addressing the pain your solution solves. By conducting a thorough discovery, understanding the challenges your prospect faces, and playing back the value you bring—using their own metrics and insights—you not only demonstrate credibility but also make your solution resonate.

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Sales might seem like a minefield, and a lot of what I’ve learned comes from experience—having these conversations hundreds of times and making plenty of mistakes along the way. But ultimately, sales is about relationships and helping prospects see what life could look like without the challenges they’re currently facing.