Use Sales Power To Fuel Funding

div align="center">energy and effort into sales and increased the
Which came first? The chicken or the egg? When itcompany’s return exponentially. If the
comes to raising venture capital, it’s hard tocompany moved along the funding path, it could still
tell whether a company’s sales lay thebe waiting for VC instead of running an explosively
golden egg or are the golden egg. On the heels of asuccessful operation today.
dot com slowdown, a tried and true business modelSo what does it take to put your sales vehicle in
is reemerging and offering an effective, proven waymotion? You need to start with a plan. As critical as
to approach investors.your business plan is to your venture, so too is your
It’s no secret that not so long agosales plan for your sales activities. Time is money
investors, eager to cash in on an exploding Internetand, as an emerging company, you have to maximize
e-conomy, happily funded technology companiesboth. Unless you successfully have managed the sales
headed by strong teams offering futuristic wares.process, it’s wise to spend the money and
Some of those companies came to the table with ainvest in a person or a company that has a track
viable business plan and others hoped that fundingrecord in your industry for growing companies such
could command their business model. Itas yours. Be sure that the sales pro knows how to
didn’t take investors long to learn thework with the resources you have available. When
technology ropes. Now, high-tech companies lookingyou meet with prospective sales consultants, be
for funds have to wow investors the old fashionedhonest about your situation. How many people can
way – with an impressive product offering,focus on sales activities? What, realistically, is your
savvy professional team, investment-worthy businesssales budget and how long can you commit to the
plan and financial data worthy of securing the dough.plan once it is developed? How much time can
Funding in the new millennium is hardly an undertakingcompany leaders devote to tracking, follow up and
for the faint of heart.redirection?
Next, enter sales. What if tech companiesNext, map out who, what, when and where.
incorporated their Plan B into their Plan A? Ah, yes,• Who will develop the sales strategy and
now we are talking. Plan B, of course, is to startplan?
selling the product or service – just in case• Who will execute it?
the VC doesn’t come through. Spin that• What is the process?
idea around and marry it to Plan A and you have a• What are the goals?
tech formula for success.• When will you start? When will you review
Sales could be your key to the VC vault. Ventureyour results?
capitalists are looking for a revolutionary product or• Where will you begin your action plan?
service that can offer them a handsome return onWhere will you find the operating funds to keep the
investment. If your company sales prove that yourshow afloat until you realize tangible results?
product has a market – we’reThen, put your plan on paper and commit to it. Set
talking customers here – and you have theyour weekly, monthly, semi-annual and annual sales
plan to take it successfully to that market, then yougoals. Execute and analyze. What’s working?
are that much closer to securing the funds youWhat isn’t? What can you do better
desire.– smarter? What was a miss and why? Log
Powering up sales to ignite funding offers more thanall activity into your sales journal and tweak the
a safety net. In one instance, a companyprocess until you get it right.
incorporating a sales plan with the path to fundingOnce you are on the sales track, reach out to
found that company sales funded the businessmentors or others you know who have successfully
sufficiently enough that venture investment/fundinggrown their companies through increased sales. In
was no longer needed. The team redirected moresales, the goal is to work smarter, not harder.