Seha Okudan

Read my SaaS growth & entrepreneurship content here 👇 sehaokudan.substack.com

Nobody wants to be sold. Nobody wants to receive cold emails or calls. Consider these when you approach your next prospect.

Never assume prospects care about you or your product. They ONLY care about their own needs. Show how you solve their pain. They might start caring about you.

I don't like to see super complicated lead generation automation and systems. Seems like you're overcomplicating sales.

If you can't handle rejection, you should not be in sales.

I think the biggest success factor is having a family that supports you no matter what. You feel extremely powerful.

Fake urgency hurts trust. Prospects are not stupid. Offer real reasons to act, and show true value. That is how you close deals.

100% automated outbound = lazy + incompetent And probably won't work.

There is no excuse not to create content and share your thoughts. No matter what it is beneficial for you. Whether you want to improve your career, network, or sell, it helps. Just do it.

Building a GTM strategy and amplifying it with other strategies is my passion. I believe GTM is not only for revenue, it is also for getting real feedback from the market. Honestly, the majority of real market value goes to the thrash as companies don't have a system to leverage this.

Harsh truth: Nobody cares about a random seller. The real relationship-building process starts when you see that there's something valuable for them.

Feeling like you're bad at sales? If you can't sell, this does not always mean that you're a bad salesperson. - The product might be terrible - Your territory can have fewer opportunities - You might not be getting the guidance you need You can't always control outcomes.

I still see Bluesky as my alternative social media plan. But I'm failing to engage with people as it is not my priority. How do you handle a situation like this?

Some people never answer the question you ask. They answer something else. When you repeat the question they get mad. 2 options: - They're trying to hide something -0 communication skills Either way, you should stop trying.

The funniest thing in corporate companies is people with ego but 0 knowledge. When they join a startup, they often feel like a fish out of water.

Working for an early-stage startup for a year taught me more than working for corporate companies for 4 years. One feeling I had in corporate companies? "Oh, if this person can become a director with this knowledge, I probably should build my own business" Big companies indeed look fancy on CV

I find Bluesky more conversational than other social media platforms. This is the top reason I started to create content here. What do you think?

People say LinkedIn is cringe. I partially agree but it is still beneficial thanks to the network there. I receive job offers, podcast invitations, and consultancy offers every month. You'll never regret having a media power.

When you realize you're on your own in life, your growth starts. Expect nothing from no one. Don't be dependent, but ask for help. See how your life changes.

A man operates at peak efficiency when he's providing for his family. Purpose fuels performance. I need this feeling in my life😬

Pay your freelancers on time. Usually, those people are trying to build a lifestyle and business for themselves - dealing with lots of challenges. Don't make it harder for them.

Building something with No-code doesn't make me an engineer. Automating lead generation doesn't make you a GTM engineer either.

Not getting any objections from prospects? Don't be so happy; you're losing the deal. Objections are opportunities and signs of interest.

Making fun of new starters and public shaming are signs of low character.

Being hungry and greedy are different in sales. One brings results. The other one destroys the entire team.

Sales is not closing the deal. buyers are becoming overwhelmed by the seemingly endless good choices and need help making a decision. Sales is helping them.

Some people are asking me about JobBoardSearch 🔎's story How did I get first paying job boards How did I get to this point How do I monetize @patwalls.com from Starter Story wrote a nice breakdown Here is the link 👇🏻 www.starterstory.com/jobboardsear... #buildinpublic

Is building a side hustle while working called a portfolio career? I don't know why people are looking for fancy names for everything.

I’m still more in X and LinkedIn tbh. How do you see Bluesky’s future? (Realistically)

"Build and they will come" This is the worst advice I've ever seen on social media.

Mostly Indiehackers build for indiehackers. Solopreneurs design services for other solopreneuers. Funnily, those are the most cost-sensitive segments

Marketing and sales should align on one thing. The messaging should be different. So marketing teams should not evaluate outbound messaging.

Experienced Outbound SDRs are insanely good at many roles. And it is not even surprising. They are spending the most time with prospects. And mostly getting rejected.

I think sales frameworks like BANT are still useful. However, some salespeople implement it wrong. -They sound like a robot -Usually ask questions nonstop like an interrogation Also concern example: If there is a pain that has a serious business impact, they can find the budget so it might mislead

Always test new prospecting methods if you're in sales. But don't break what's already working. Don't change your entire approach fast.

Do you think Bluesky will pivot into something else? Or continue competing X?

Prospects don't care about you. They simply can't care about every salesperson asked their time and attention.

B2B sales and B2C sales are very different. Enterprise sales and SMB sales are also different. Implement tips you see online carefully.

Never forget about the "pain of switching to your tool" If prospects invest a lot of time in a tool; You'll need to solve this migration problem, too. You might want to involve CSMs in your meeting.

Have the closing meeting in a couple of months? You have to keep prospects warm. Remind yourself monthly: - Share relevant case studies - Update them with relevant industry news - Find valuable content relevant to them. Otherwise, you increase the risk of being ghosted.

"Never pitch right away" I do it and it works. Here's what to do: - Use hyper-relevant messaging -Do an In-depth research -Include a relevant case study -Use a soft CTA Do it under 55 words and see how it works.

I saw some B2B salespeople having illusions about selling. - Talking about selling products people don't need. - "A 30% closing rate is being low" - Sell emotions. I can clearly say that those people don't know how to sell. Go get an SDR or AE job and target enterprises. You'll face the reality.

It is fun to see stuff like this in sales: -Need-based selling doesn't work -Sell emotions -Play to the right side of the brain - etc etc Just try to understand if the prospect can benefit from using your product. Don't complicate it.

You can only sell what people need in B2B. You should focus on selling what people's children desperately want. (and pets) You can manipulate and sell things people don't need in B2C.

"Send me a document" - if you say yes to this objection directly, you don't know selling.

I think "the cringe problem" is not the problem for LinkedIn. The real problem is we no longer know what the platform is for. Feels like their product team is working very randomly

Many people I know quit SaaS sales last year. Made a shift to roles in manufacturing, energy, and financial sectors. Is this something common in the industry now?

Many people want to create communities. But many people forget that it is not easy. Getting people to join your community is one thing. Keeping them engaged is another one. Super valuable but not as easy as it seems.

Old-school sales methods are back. We're all tired of AI messaging that is fighting for our attention. So the old schools methods work in sales now. - Personalized gifts - Face-to-face meetings - Relationship-building focus AI can’t fake trust-building.