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I have a killer business set up. But I hate sales. Help desperately needed
r/Entrepreneur
6/26/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Not specified | Payment Processing | Mentioned as a common competitor |
| PayPal | Not specified | Payment Processing | Mentioned as a common competitor |
| Cash App | Not specified | Payment Processing | Mentioned as a common competitor |
| Hunter | Not specified | Email Finder | Used to find owner emails for outreach |
| Mailchimp | Not specified | Email Marketing | Used for drip email campaigns |
| Perplexity | Not specified | AI Research Tool | Used for researching ideal customers |
| ChatGPT | Not specified | AI Assistant | Used for researching ideal customers |
| Pulse for Reddit | Not specified | Social Media Monitoring | Used to track local subreddits for pain points |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Intense dislike for cold sales and cold calling
- Difficulty convincing businesses they need payment processing solutions
- Feeling stuck despite having a potentially lucrative business model
- Lack of funds to hire sales staff upfront
- High rejection rates in a competitive industry
- Emotional toll of sales rejection and self-doubt
Problems to Solve:
- How to generate warm leads instead of cold outreach
- How to overcome aversion to sales activities
- How to scale the business without personally doing sales
- How to validate product-market fit in a crowded space
- How to compete with established players (Square, PayPal, etc.)
Potential Solutions:
- Hiring commission-based sales representatives
- Building inbound marketing strategies (content, SEO, ads)
- Using AI tools for lead generation and outreach automation
- Focusing on referral programs and word-of-mouth marketing
- Repositioning the product to highlight unique value propositions
- Creating case studies and testimonials for social proof
- Networking to build relationships before selling
- Partnering with sales experts or agencies
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Land and expand approach: Start with specific features to enter accounts
- Long-term relationship building for high customer lifetime value (CLV)
- Repositioning offerings to differentiate from competitors
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Targeted email campaigns using tools like Hunter and Mailchimp
- Social listening (e.g., Pulse for Reddit) to identify prospects in pain
- Content marketing (blogs, LinkedIn) to attract inbound leads
- Referral programs with incentives (e.g., $250 spiff per referral)
- Deep customer research using AI tools like Perplexity/ChatGPT
- Focusing on ideal customer profiles (ICP) for personalized outreach
Monetization & Product:
- High residual income model ($100-$10,000/month per deal)
- Emphasizing cost savings as primary value proposition for SMBs
- Developing killer features for specific departmental needs
- Ensuring technical superiority in key areas vs. alternatives
- Commission-based compensation for sales teams to align incentives
User Engagement:
- Building case studies and testimonials from happy customers
- Active participation in community forums (e.g., Reddit) to address pain points
- Creating educational content to nurture prospects not yet in market
- Offering free value-added services to build trust before selling