Have We Forgotten How to Sell?

I work with a lot of start-up companies and those that have gone beyond seed investment and into second round investment. I also do a ton of work helping companies claim R&D tax credits for the development work that they have carried out - often deploying the investment monies that they have raised in the seed investment round.

So I am pretty familiar with the funding, tax incentive and grant support systems that are out there to support start-up and early-stage companies. On the whole, it all works pretty well and there is generally support out there for companies as they need it during the early stages.

But there is a growing trend that is starting to worry me.

Many entrepreneurs seem to be wholly invested in the ecosystem of seeking external fund-raising, tax incentives and grant sources to grow their business beyond the early stages. Put simply, they just seem to want to keep coming back for more money.

This leaves a huge 'white-elephant' in the room: Where's the Customer?

At some stage, companies need to start finding customers in the marketplace to purchase their product or service. They need to start generating revenues.

This isn't always easy. The market sometimes needs to be educated and finding new customers can be hard. But this is where the art of sales comes in. Are we losing the ability to sell?

I have seen companies that have super products or services but they decide to throw the towel in and close the business because "they ran out of money as they couldn't find funding". Errr, maybe go out and find some 'real-life' customers to buy your stuff. Like in the good ole days...?

Okay, so I might be stretching the point and sounding a little harsh as every case and company is different. Some companies are building world-changing technologies and this requires time and significant investment before it can reach the market. I get that. My view is aimed more at those companies that require lighter investment and really need to step-up and test the market more readily and to unplug from the safety net of grants and funding beyond the initial stages.

There's a real-world out there that is desperate to buy your stuff (or if not, you may as well find out sooner rather than later before you take on more funding and grants...). Is it time to regain the lost art of selling?

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