As most of the early stage companies do not provide any technical training to their salespersons, and they merely repeat what was told to them (see parrot) or must invite an engineer for a customer presentation — the notion of merely using a salesperson to do initial sales presentations is today highly questionable, and even inefficient, given the strong advancements of Chat AI technologies that are perfectly capable of providing solid answers to a technical and engineering focused audience, such as DevOps and Engineering teams.
1) So I guess the question becomes, why are early-stage venture backed start-ups still hiring salespersons to provide basic presentations and PowerPoints online ? How much is this costing the company… needing at least two people for very basic Q&A sessions and this technical qualification step in the sales cycle ?
As the next step is often a PoC , why even bother with needs analysis online if you don’t even understand the technical basics ?
Or put another way, why are early-stage companies not hiring mostly technically oriented (STEM) salespersons to do the work ? In other fields a technical degree and domain expertise are required for customer engagements (see Sales Engineering). Why is this often not the case in Silicon Valley ?
2) Is it not time to acknowledge that most DevOps and Engineering teams, really have a difficult time engaging with sales managers that have no technical background or skill set ? Is this not a type-mismatch situation, and unproductive use of time ? Needless to say isn’t the salesperson feeling a little bit uncomfortable talking about technical details he /she does not understand ??
3) Hey salesperson— why not take a few technical courses and have these paid by your employer so at the very least you have a basic understanding of software programming and network architecture ?
4) As the solutions become more complex, Chat AI agents are and will become perfectly capable of giving a PowerPoint presentation, and will certainly outperform you.
Look at the bright side — the traditional salesperson with the technical training is making a comeback – expense accounts for travel will grow again as the personal relationship and engagement of a human being cannot be replaced to build trust and rapport and a long-term customer relationship.
Chat AI agents and initial online presentations are now something for the Marketing department !
Recently, speaking with a VC in Europe, I was surprise how reluctant these investors, with a background mostly in finance and very little, if any operations experience, were in endorsing the hire of senior sales manager for their early stage companies. With no customer or sales experience, what can you expect.. ??
A reminder for investors.. and the BoD..
1) CEOs of start-up and early stage companies .. NEED senior sales managers to build credibility and a solid base with initial customers.
2) Seasoned managers know the sales cycle inside and out—they can spot qualified prospects, move deals forward smoothly, and close with confidence. That kind of experience can really speed up ARR growth when cash flow’s a little tight.
3) Senior managers usually already have connections with key decision‑makers, channel partners, and early adopters in the IT world. Those relationships can open doors fast—ones that might’ve taken months to reach otherwise.
4) With years of experience under their belt, they know how to shape messaging, pricing, and go‑to‑market strategy so the product really clicks with enterprise buyers.
5) Senior managers go after bigger accounts and handle more complex deals, which will lift the average contract value (ACV)
6) Since they’ve already nailed prospecting, discovery, and handling objections, they don’t need much ramp‑up time and can start producing results fast.
AVOID the “valley of death” approach – through under-investment in the very function that converts product promise into sustainable revenues !!