The Death of a Start-up w/ Hampus Jakobsson [Episode 262]

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In this episode Hampus describes what Brisk set out to do for sales professionals and sales teams. And he shares the reasons why Brisk ultimately failed to achieve its goals.

My guest on this episode of Accelerate! is Hampus Jakobsson, a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and the co-founder of Brisk, a company that designed a sales tool intended to dramatically boost sales productivity. It’s a great cautionary tale for entrepreneurs. Join us as Hampus and I also discuss some essential sales lessons for start-ups.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Hampus shares how Brisk decided to develop a product that could make sales predictable.

The doubters felt Brisk was wrong to expend resources on a mobile app for sales (given the growth of insides sales.)

Are we moving into a scary world with the myth of personalization?

With each new customer, Brisk was forced into product customization.

The pressures from the market and investors that forced Brisk to fold.

Are many of the new sales tools simply a better way to get data into Salesforce?

Small companies want to be data-driven, but can they when they have small sample sizes?

Is engineering people out of your sales process inevitably just commoditizing your product?

Why new companies should focus more effort on mapping the customer journey.

MORE ABOUT HAMPUS JAKOBSSON

What’s your most powerful sales attribute?

Enthusiasm.

Who is your sales role model?

Scott Leese of OutboundEngine

What’s one book that every salesperson should read?

The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss

What music is on your playlist right now?

Radiohead, Daft Punk, and The National.