Introverted ceo seeking sales advice: is there more than just DMs and content creation?
Claire Martin
5 replies
Hey everyone,
As an introvert running a SaaS business, I find myself in a bit of a tricky spot. I'm the CEO, which makes me the "chief salesperson" by default, and my brother is the CTO. Everyone around me keeps saying I should focus on sending DMs and creating content to drive sales, but is that really the only way?
Being introverted, constantly putting myself out there isn't easy for me. Are there other strategies or approaches that work for someone in my position? I’d love to hear your insights or experiences!
Replies
Monalisa Sethi@monalisa_sethi
If you don't feel that's your strongest suit and you can contribute somewhere else, then hire for it. Hire a person who can complement you and fill the gap. Having said the initial momentum is definitely built through conversations and relationship development. But you can write good content. Distribution, including outreach can always be done by someone else.
I do this for a living. Help founders who either don't have the time or don't want to get involved in branding/marketing convert conversations into revenue (or whatever the goal is).
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Launching soon!
You could focus on SEO for a long-term, introvert-friendly strategy. If you're in B2B, try automating email outreach with tools like Apollo.io to land leads without direct interaction. You can send the emails from a different email address. Hope that helps in some way!
I hear ya on not being the most comfortable with sales outreach. I'd say focus on your strengths - if you can write great content, double down on that to build your brand and attract inbound interest. Definitely consider bringing on a sales/bizdev hire when you can to complement your skills and really drive revenue growth through outbound. In the meantime, make the most of your content creation abilities to gain traction and momentum. You got this!
I think while introverts can be not that good when it comes to approaching people, I believe they can deliver a good speech when best prepared, like Steve Jobs. Maybe preparing everything in advance, and sticking to the prepared manual might be a good strategy for an introvert.
Launching soon!
Well, I face used to face these issues too. But, what I have learnt I can't change my being but I need to build a coping mechanism which works. So, I started engaging in small talks in various spaces which helped me in acing out talking to strangers and then periodically I started connecting in communities of similar interests. It's not comfortable but it eases the anxiety a bit.