B2B Sales Strategy for Startup Founders
Discover the secrets to influencing decision-makers and designing a pilot program that gets a YES. (Now in a one-day workshop).
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Course overview
Stop pitching and start listening
Most people think that corporate partnerships are about selling and pitching, it’s really about listening, planning, and collaborating.
Position your startup to work with corporates and win that first pilot, proof-of-concept, or deal.
Who is this course for
01
Founders and CEOs
You want to be more strategic in your approach when identifying the best markets and industries.
02
Business Developers
You want to find the right decision makers and establish traction by partnering with big companies.
03
Marketers and Product Managers
You want to make progress even if you don't have product-market fit. We'll focus on how to get going.
Key outcomes
Get the right strategic footing
Be more strategic when it comes to market size and sectors, find the best industries and decision makers who need their products, then understand how these prospects think.
Solve Valuable Problems for your Future Customers
Conduct world class customer development. Everyone's got problems in big companies. So are you good at identifying them? That's the secret to great customer development that makes your product better and creates new channels for your business.
De-Risk your Solution for Decision Makers
How do you ask people to take a bet on you? I'll share the importance of building a pilot program. Together, we'll go create one. You will de-risk your startup's product/service for decision-makers so they will advocate for you.
Develop Results that Produce Momentum
You'll need social proof to succeed. Turns that first win into a compelling case study for others to follow
Course syllabus
2 live sessions • 4 lessons • 2 projects
Week 1
- 📄
A brainstorming framework for aspiring founders
Complete by Jan 24 - 📄
How to Close Enterprise Sales
- ✍️
Start Mapping Stakeholders
Submit by Jan 20 - 📄
What Sales Strategy is Right for You?
Complete by Jan 20 - 📄
Steve Blank Market Research Resources
Complete by Jan 22 - ✍️
Find and Prioritize the Right Markets
Submit by Jan 19
How do you map stakeholders?
You'll be able to identify key decision makers in your target customer segment and tailor your message to speak directly to them
You'll practice finding and listening for keywords that point to their biggest pain points which keep them up at night.
What markets do you want to reach?
Knowing who is the customer is not always as easy as it seems and picking the right markets to focus on is life or death for your startup.
Week 2
Week 3
Jan
31
LIVE WORKSHOP
Jan
31
Course Workshop (Recording)
What students are saying
Let's get to work
Vijay Rajendran
Vijay Rajendran
20+ years of investing in and supporting entrepreneurs on their journeys
Vijay is head of portfolio value at 500 Global where he works with hundreds of companies including dozens of unicorn startups.
Previously, he developed partnerships with fintech startups and worked directly with Entrepreneurs-in-Residence at global bank BBVA in San Francisco after founding 2 startups in e-commerce and fintech.
Vijay is the co-author of "Unlocking Corporate Venture Capital" and "Corporate-Startup Experiments" from 500 Global. In recent years, he has led roundtables, and workshops, and spoken at conferences including RISE, Horasis Global, CB Insights Future of Fintech, TiE IDEAS2021, Geneva Wealthtech Forum, Oxford Said Entrepreneurship Forum, and the Asia Financial Forum.
Course Schedule
4 Hours Workshop in a Single Session
Weekly projects
2 hours per week
Let's plan to test, learn, and iterate right away in your business.
Learning is better with cohorts
Active learning, not passive watching
This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects
Interactive and project-based
You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams
Learn with a cohort of peers
Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you