I believed that product excellence and market fit obviated the need for a formal sales function: Build a great product, and customers will come.

That view was short-sighted, to say the least. The technology companies that are able to both build great products and integrate a strong sales function are the ones that succeed, whether consumer or enterprise — from Microsoft to Salesforce and yes, even Apple and Facebook. You may not hear about it, but all the world-class companies have a strong sales force. Still, I’m often asked the question of “Why sales?” by entrepreneurs and technical founders [...]

‍