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The Entrepreneur: Birth of a Salesman
Stever Stralser teach at a top-ranked MBA program and when he just mention the word "sales" or "selling" He watch as his students' eyes roll. Then they wince like they've just tasted a less-than-perfect Pinot, and make comments like "I did not pay fifty thousand dollars and spend a year of my life to prepare for a sales job."
In contrast, last week He conducted an intensive two-week seminar where He invited successful entrepreneurs to present their own case studies of successfully launching, growing, and, in some cases, exiting their companies.
The cases were presented by entrepreneurs like Karl Eller, who at age 66 had been nearly bankrupt. Then he started over, in the outdoor billboard business, and ultimately sold his company to ClearChannel for more than $1 billion. Then there was Sam Garvin, who launched his business based on a business plan written in his Thunderbird MBA entrepreneurship class. The business grew into a billion dollar company. (Sam is now enjoying his "second career" as a major owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, rated by Forbes as a top performing sports franchise.)
We also heard the story of young entrepreneurs like Kenny Kramm and Woodie Neiss. They founded a company called FlavorX that has been on the cover of Inc. magazine. Flavor X was started to solve a critical health problem faced by families whose kids have to take adult-formulated drugs for life-threatening conditions.
A common trait of all of these entrepreneurs, which has driven their success, is sales ability. They have been able to make the cash register ring not only from customers saying "yes," but also because they've honed the skill of selling ideas. Each had a vision of where the company would be in a dynamic and competitive environment.
Not every "born salesman" is a natural entrepreneur. It also takes a respect for risk, a vision for creating a business from an opportunity, the ability to navigate through ambiguity, and a passion for leadership and team-building. An entrepreneur possesses a unique combination of skills, but it all begins with the ability to sell.
So, shouldn't your first job as an entrepreneur be "founding salesperson"?
Stever Stralser is the author of MBA in a DAY (www.mbainaday.com); and clinical professor of entrepreneurship at Thunderbird: The Garvin School of International Management.
In contrast, last week He conducted an intensive two-week seminar where He invited successful entrepreneurs to present their own case studies of successfully launching, growing, and, in some cases, exiting their companies.
The cases were presented by entrepreneurs like Karl Eller, who at age 66 had been nearly bankrupt. Then he started over, in the outdoor billboard business, and ultimately sold his company to ClearChannel for more than $1 billion. Then there was Sam Garvin, who launched his business based on a business plan written in his Thunderbird MBA entrepreneurship class. The business grew into a billion dollar company. (Sam is now enjoying his "second career" as a major owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, rated by Forbes as a top performing sports franchise.)
We also heard the story of young entrepreneurs like Kenny Kramm and Woodie Neiss. They founded a company called FlavorX that has been on the cover of Inc. magazine. Flavor X was started to solve a critical health problem faced by families whose kids have to take adult-formulated drugs for life-threatening conditions.
A common trait of all of these entrepreneurs, which has driven their success, is sales ability. They have been able to make the cash register ring not only from customers saying "yes," but also because they've honed the skill of selling ideas. Each had a vision of where the company would be in a dynamic and competitive environment.
Not every "born salesman" is a natural entrepreneur. It also takes a respect for risk, a vision for creating a business from an opportunity, the ability to navigate through ambiguity, and a passion for leadership and team-building. An entrepreneur possesses a unique combination of skills, but it all begins with the ability to sell.
So, shouldn't your first job as an entrepreneur be "founding salesperson"?
Stever Stralser is the author of MBA in a DAY (www.mbainaday.com); and clinical professor of entrepreneurship at Thunderbird: The Garvin School of International Management.
