ars-machina: Book Review: "Demand side sales" by Bob Moesta

I had to learn this the hard way when founding my first Startup: "SciSurfer".

One of the weaknesses was for sure that we did not get sales right. And I leaned a lot from that mistake.

Sales is important. Very important.

A book that was recommended by Jason Fried from Basecamp was Demand Side Sales.

Key takeaways:

Demand side sales is basically not cold calling people, but making them aware of something, presenting them something and then helping the customer so that a sale can be made.
Demand side sales is understanding what the customer wants. Maybe through advanced interviews.
The struggling moment: When there's a problem, people want something. This is where the pull is being created. E.g. When my compuer becomes slow I begin looking around for something new.
Jobs-to-be-done framework stages: First thought -> passive looking -> active looking -> deciding -> onboarding -> ongoing use
Three motivators for customers to buy: Functional (eg downsizing), Emotional (eg Thanksgiving when the family comes together), Social motivations: Eg live near your family
Supply: Sell by features, Demand: Understand the customer and deliver exactly what she needs.
Example: Snickers moved from competing with other snacks to competing with lunch. People ate Snickers when they were hungry because the peanuts made it feel different.
Make sure you present alternatives - that allows to frame the decision. Only one option does not frame the decision.
Marketing can only create demand when there's a stuggling moment - otherwise there is no demand.
Good case studies: How to reduce the number of students quitting their distance learning courses.
Toyoda's five why framework is a bit strange and never worked really for me (if you deal with clever people)

Very good read. Good examples. Good graphics and frameworks to follow.