Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrepreneur?

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by pembrook on Friday January 03, 2025 @12:53PM (#42587851)

This is advice for how to never build a big company and and just do the indiehacker thing building indiehacker tools for other indiehackers (which is fine!).

But if you have bigger ambitions -- you might actually have to talk to humans and look into this weird thing called "sales” and this other weird thing called “human relationships.”

Remember, a vast vast majority of money paid for software and value to be created solving problems with software comes from organizations (businesses, governments, etc). Not consumers or other indiehackers, which are the folks you'll find using the playbook OP mentioned above. Indiehackers might sound like a fun customer base, but be aware they are also the people who will loudly complain "THREE DOLLARS A MONTH FOR THIS??" when you do your show HN post.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by mlboss on Friday January 03, 2025 @01:28PM (#42588184)

You need to crawl, walk and then run. I would argue that talking to users on reddit/twitter is also selling. If you cannot sell a $3 dollar widget then selling a $1000 widget is even more difficult. Enterprise sales has a long sales cycle which is very difficult to do without significant runway.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by pembrook on Friday January 03, 2025 @01:36PM (#42588269)

In fact it's far easier to sell ten $1000/m subscriptions than it is to sell 3,333 $3/m subscriptions (the equivalent).

But you don't learn this until after you've tried the latter.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by jsk2600 on Friday January 03, 2025 @02:40PM (#42588783)

Also, it's usually far easier to support ten customers vs 3,333.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by yakshaving_jgt on Friday January 03, 2025 @08:04PM (#42591245)

In my experience, it’s easier to sell something for $1000 than it is to sell something for $3.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by sliq on Friday January 03, 2025 @09:09PM (#42591654)

one good high-paying client is much easier than 1000 little clients. in every single aspect ;)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by hermitcrab on Friday January 03, 2025 @10:32PM (#42592129)

As long as you don't only have 1 client. Then you are a basically a consultant and have to do what they say.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by riku_iki on Friday January 03, 2025 @01:07PM (#42587973)

> But if you have bigger ambitions -- you might actually have to talk to humans and look into this weird thing called "sales."

that's the step after sufficient revenue generated or funding received to hire ans scale sales team probably. But the question is for solo hacker at the beginning of the journey.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by pembrook on Friday January 03, 2025 @01:14PM (#42588050)

It might amaze you to know there are thousands of $million revenue software companies that never posted on Reddit and never wasted months trying to pump a fake-successful launch on product hunt.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How to learn marketing and sales as a solo entrep... by riku_iki on Friday January 03, 2025 @01:23PM (#42588132)

so, what is your suggested trajectory for solo hacker? Do cold "sales" calls?

> there are thousands of $million revenue software companies that never posted on Reddit and never wasted months trying to pump a fake-successful launch on product hunt.

do you have a chance to give some ideas how did you collect such insights? How did you find there are thousands companies which never posted, etc, and how they found first customers?

[ Parent | on HN ]