Here is my situation.<p>A friend from college and I are ready to start building a product now. So we're at the "idea exploration" stage.<p>My dad works in a big corp (sales side), and after having talked to him I think I spotted an opportunity ( something that can be fixed using technology ). It's ideal for customer development because the product would be targeted at people like my dad !<p>The question I have is : do you think it's possible to sell software to big companies when the team is composed of 2 CS grads ( 23 years old ), at least at the beginning ?<p>What are the different techniques to sell to big and middle corporations when you don't come from inside ( but can have some connections, in this case through my father ).<p>Has anyone done it before ?<p>Thank you.
I recently talked with a co-founder of a company that sold to enterprises. He and his co-founder are in our peer group, and I asked him that very question. How does a young entrepreneur sell to enterprises? And, he said two things:<p>1.) Lower the barrier of entry for enterprises to test your product. Understand what their inhibitions are:<p>a.) Productivity costs caused by implementing new software that could require training and infrastructure investments.<p>b.) Fear that your startup could go out of business in a year, and they're left with this unsupported, buggy software.<p>c.) Disapproval from shareholders that they are taking a risk with this unproven company.<p>Then, create a solution to tackle those concerns, and sell them the benefits (typically ROI) that your product will bring.<p>2.) And, this young entrepreneur also recommended to have experienced people on your team, whether advisors, investors or employees, to give you credibility.<p>Two sales techniques I heard not too long ago:<p>Identify decision makers. If you can't reach them, then go through gatekeepers - like a personal assistant.<p>Avoid talking about technology. Most likely, the person you're speaking with isn't technical. Instead, give them a brief pitch about why you're product will give them a competitive advantage in their market.<p>And, remember an enterprises care only about two things:
i. Making Profit
ii. Managing Costs<p>Make sure your product fits in one of those categories.
Yes, I've know a few people who've done it, but I have noticed an interesting pattern.<p>The more specialized you make your software, the easier it will be to sell to a particular company since you're solving a specific problem for them, but with that the volume you sell it also get smaller.<p>The trick with enterprise is connections and marketing skills more than the technical aspect.