Authenticity in Founder Led Sales & Marketing

Introduction

Founder led sales and marketing is - as I alluded to in a prior article - the GTM motion of the moment. But it’s a topic many still aren’t entirely comfortable discussing for fear of embarrassment, lack of engagement or something equally uncomfortable.

But it’s these embarrassing moments that often leads to greater long term success. In this post, I’m going to talk a bit more about the benefits of radical transparency and vulnerability in founder led sales and marketing.

Understanding Vulnerability

Being vulnerable as a CEO or founder has been seen as a weakness in business for decades. We all know the image society has of a successful company leader. Buttoned up, shiny glass corner office, always on the phone, perhaps a bit shouty.

Thanks ChatGPT…

Just as people's opinions can change over the years regarding previously disliked concepts (Athleisure, WFH, the humble Croc) many are beginning to respect founders and business owners who openly share their struggles.

The polished success you see on social media platforms never makes anyone feel better about themselves. Nor do many empathise. But that’s what connecting with others is mostly about - developing a level of empathy and understanding that these are people too. With their own ambitions, flaws, failures and success, buying from them feels less faceless than from a corporation.

Being candid about how you operate within your business - whether on social media as part of your marketing, or within a demo as a founding seller - invites a conversation.

Where to Begin

Getting going however, is not an easy feat. Not only are you sharing your journey, you’re also potentially painting it in a negative light. One easy way to work the concept of vulnerability into your sales and marketing is to build in public.

It’s not a new phenomena by any means. The idea of building in public (and the associated #buildinpublic hashtag, which is incredibly popular) encourages founders to share everything they’re doing - successful or otherwise. It’s a good way to hold yourself accountable. And feel free to share the wins along the way, openness needn’t just be about the failures in your journey.

But if that’s not something you’re on board with, you can always just emulate successful founders who are already doing something like this…

Real-Life Examples

Dom Maskell @ Runna, the AI-powered running coach is one excellent example of a founder doing it right. Dom posts about the usual product updates and company milestones, but also about what goes on behind the scenes.

There are some genuinely pleasant stories about their journey and although their offering is primarily B2C, the content feels natural on LinkedIn. People like to hear about companies making a real-world difference and these guys have it in spades.

Another example is Austin Hughes @ Unify, an early stage startup selling site visitor ID tech for sales teams.

It’s really pointed stuff and has personally given me a great deal to think about when it comes to fixing issues we encounter as we grow.

This sort of content is interesting because it’s applicable. It’s not just rehashing the same old ideas or wisdom either - it’s new and inventive and offers practical ways around timeless problems.

Either of these strategies work can be used in sales calls too. Sharing feel-good stories, real world impact and battle-tested fixes to prospect problems is a really easy way to further build rapport with everyone you speak to.

A word of warning…

Be extremely cautious about oversharing. Whilst openness is a tenet of founder led marketing and sales, oversharing is easily done and is not so well praised.

Everyone probably remembers the below…

On paper, it feels like an incredibly real post about early-stage startups. But it just feels out of touch. The narrative might have been a lot convincing as an unfortunate business event, had it not been for the attached photo, which makes it seem more like a planned outcome.

Being authentic about your shortcomings as a founder is valuable, but not to the point of virtue signalling. View your posts and sales calls as opportunities to build rapport, not just means to optimise metrics or increase sales. Otherwise, it’s easy to fall into the trap of seeking sympathy instead.

Summary

Being a founder comes with its highs and lows. Trying to remain positive and post about all the success you’re having can create unnecessary barriers to your sales and marketing efforts and consistency. It’s far easier to tell your story as it is.

And finally, we’re working on this at whomso at the moment with the upcoming introduction of our startup diaries. It’s a series where we’ll talk a bit more about the tribulations of building a product in a crowded space. Watch this space!