When growth stalls, founders feel overwhelmed by endless possible reasons. The problem is simpler: either you haven't identified who has "pull" for your product, or you have, but your process is actively preventing them from buying.
You can't know in advance which customers will truly succeed with your product. Finding your best-fit customers is an iterative process of selling, observing who thrives and who churns, and then refining your targeting based on that real-world evidence.
Most startup sales activities are counterproductive. Instead of enabling a purchase, things like outreach, demos, and feature explanations often convince a prospect with genuine "pull" that your product isn't a fit, making your own actions the biggest obstacle to closing a deal.
A staggering 25 out of 30 minutes in a typical startup sales call convinces a qualified buyer *not* to purchase. Time spent on market theories, differentiation statements, or product configuration actively works against you. The goal should be radical simplification and reduction.
Two heuristics reveal if your sales calls are counterproductive. First, can you map the customer's "pull" from the recording? Second, is your product demo longer than two minutes? If you fail these tests, you are likely spending too much time explaining and not enough time understanding.
A positive vibe on a sales call is misleading. The true signal of buying intent is when the prospect actively requests or initiates the next step. If you, the seller, have to suggest it, it's a sign that you haven't tapped into their 'pull' and the deal is weak.