Week 2 end update…

Context: Joined as Founder AE for international markets for an EdTech startup - which is highly focused on Product Led Growth from its beginnings. My role is to set up the International Sales Engine which has not been a focus area up until now

Week 1 was me being pro-active in all aspects - setting 1:1s with Growth, field sales, inside sales, setting up tech stack, onboarding n all. Truckload of support from everyone in the company - sweet people. My first time in this industry.

Week 2 - I thought let’s take proactiveness to the next level and give a demonstration of the product (happened today).

We don’t have any SE’s since it’s not a very complicated (though very vast) product making the lives of teachers easier. Demo happened today with director of inside sales.

It went decent tbh. I could’ve done a lot better. I think I’m still not in the mindset, where I’m “really” curious enough to understand and discover the ICP’s challenges. The director of inside sales took the mock demo, and though he felt it went ok, I don’t feel the same way tbh.

This is my first time as AE (that too founding AE), so I didn’t know how to navigate between taking the demo - going against the flow if prepared based on the incoming intel - use the intel to tweak or pivot the demo - ask the right set of questions at the right time - at the same time explains the tool as well as the value props.

I’d say I did a fairly decent job. Not bad, but could've been way better. I felt, during feedback, that my manager was just being nice and was hesitating in giving constructive feedback. I promised him (again trying to be proactive) that I’d give another demo to him next week.

TLDR : I really did not feel, while giving the demo and doing the discovery, that I actually could relate to the school administrator - helping them taking an informed decision about an edtech learning tool. That’s what I feel went wrong. That I just didn’t feel like I knew my shit enough.

any and every piece of advice would be immensely appreciated from you all, experts,

demo…

Week one...

Best Ways to Engage a Public School Superintendent (SalesGPT Post)