Most founders instinctively try to "push" sales forward: creating urgency, sending non-stop follow-ups, and trying to convince prospects. The actual physics of sales is "pull." When a customer has genuine demand and lacks good options, they will do the work—scheduling meetings, bringing in stakeholders, and asking for information—to acquire your solution.

Companies don't sign six-figure contracts to solve one person's frustrations. To justify a large purchase, you must anchor the sale to tangible business outcomes. Frame discovery questions around the company's goals, not just an individual champion's personal pain points.

As Eleven Labs shifted to enterprise, the long 6-12 month sales cycles caused skepticism among its fast-paced PLG teams. To maintain morale, leadership had to actively shield the teams from the lengthy process, asking for trust until the enterprise deals began to materialize and prove the strategy.

If you've successfully established buyer pull in the first call, the selling is over. Your role then shifts from salesperson to project manager. Your job is to help the buyer navigate their internal hurdles (procurement, security, etc.) to get the deal done, not to keep convincing them.

Success in sales is often a game of attrition that most people lose by giving up too early. While 91% of salespeople give up after four attempts, the average deal requires eight 'asks' to get a yes. Simply being persistent gives you a massive statistical advantage over the vast majority of your competition.

To convince large enterprises to buy from a small startup, you need a two-part "bullhorn" pitch. First, solve an immediate, urgent pain point. Second, frame that solution as the first step on a journey to a larger, strategic destination that the customer wants to reach, justifying the long-term partnership.

For large, complex deals, effective sales sequences should be designed for the long haul—sometimes a year or more—with less frequent touchpoints. This strategy prioritizes staying top-of-mind for future opportunities over the quick, intense cadences used for short-cycle sales.

To break into slow-moving hospitals, Aegis initially targeted smaller, more agile medical billing companies that serve them. This strategy builds a proven product and case studies with customers who have a direct need and faster sales cycles, creating a powerful entry point to the larger hospital systems.

Effective follow-up isn't about nagging; it's about being a 'barnacle on a boat.' This means staying in contact persistently, not by asking for the sale, but by delivering value every time. This strategy keeps you top-of-mind, building trust so that when the customer is finally ready to buy, you are the logical choice.