I often hear from founders that they don’t want to be “too salesy.” For me, as someone who spends their time working on sales education, strategy, and outreach, that is a bit offensive. There is a perception that sales is somehow unethical. This was reinforced at a recent Lowest of the Low concert I attended. One of their songs is actually titled “Salesmen, Cheats and Liars.”

Here are a couple of reasons why founders should not worry about being too salesy.

Win-win

Modern sales should be a win-win. The startup has a solution that solves problems and brings value to its target market. This means that outbound sales efforts need to do their best to reach out to the right ideal customer profiles and buyer personas. Sales is simply helping someone make a decision they weren’t planning on making before the salesperson got involved. The startup is bringing real solutions that can genuinely help the prospect.

Revenue is essential

One of my early sales mentors coined the phrase, “In the absence of revenue, there can be no profit.” If your startup isn’t selling, it won’t be around for long. That means wasted effort and, ultimately, the company shutting down—leaving your clients’ problems unsolved. Founders must focus on sales efforts to ensure their business survives and then thrives. Sales should not be treated as a necessary evil, but as a core part of the business strategy.

Being “too salesy” is not a bad thing; in the end, founders do need to sell. If you need help with your founder-led sales or are looking for fractional sales support, please connect with me.