a16z Podcast
a16z Podcast: Embracing Sales
Mar 5, 2015
Chris Wanstrath, Co-founder and CEO of GitHub, shares how customer feedback transformed their initial skepticism of sales into a strategic embrace of it. Alongside Peter Levine, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, they discuss the misconception that sales is just about fast-talkers, paralleling effective salespeople with good teachers. They also explore the importance of bridging the gap between developers and decision-makers, and how a collaborative sales team can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and revenue.
23:09
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Quick takeaways
- GitHub's shift to embracing sales was driven by customer demand, highlighting the need for better communication between developers and decision-makers.
- The company transformed its sales approach by viewing salespeople as educators, focusing on relationship-building and alignment with engineering culture.
Deep dives
The Transition to a Sales Organization
Initially, GitHub was resistant to establishing a sales team, as the company had thrived on a product that marketed itself through its user base. The shift toward incorporating sales was primarily driven by customer feedback, with users expressing their needs for support in advocating for GitHub within their companies. This highlighted a gap between enthusiastic developers and decision-makers who needed more convincing about GitHub's value. Understanding that sales could play a role in educating potential customers, GitHub began to embrace a sales organization focused on relationship-building rather than traditional hard selling.
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