Sell More Faster

Chapter 1The W3 (Who, What, and Why) Framework

Figure 1.1 The W3 Framework (Who, What, and Why)

At the start of Techstars 2017 program, I remember proudly announcing each KPI meeting that “Sales were great this week … and we have no idea why.” Amos constantly reminded us that we needed to know the triggers of our business to have any control over our growth trajectory. We ultimately realized the answer to the 3Ws was the missing ingredient, and explained exactly what was preventing our company from massive scaling: we had achieved product market fit only among super-users in a niche market. We had a false sense of confidence because it took no effort to sell to our (few) optimal users, but it was extremely difficult to sell to anyone else.

—Guy Goldstein, founder and CEO of WriterDuet

Where the Heck Do I Start?

No business can exist without paying customers, which means no business can exist without sales. It's relatively easy to look at any company, especially one doing well, and be able to describe who their customers are. However, when you are first building your business all you have is a theory of who you think your customer will be, based on your theory of the problem you are solving and your opinion of what you want to sell them. While it's important for you to have a strong point of view to get started, it's even more important to figure out if you are right before ...