"The Rules of Sales" with Ian Illig of Stompbox

The Hoosier Hub Podcast

Recorded on January 24 th, 2024

Ian Illig, the cofounder of Stompbox, is an expert in helping B2B founders scale sales. Ian walks us through his “Rules of Sales” that he uses with his clients to accelerate their growth. This is a very thoughtful and fun conversation that can benefit anyone that wants to grow their business.

The Rules of Sales (Austin’s notes)

1. Focus (on specific customer)

2. Consistent process

3. Prepare the customer (like a doctor tells a patient what’s about to happen at the beginning of a visit)

4. Sell to people the way you would want to be sold to

5. Don’t mistake having a good conversation with having the right conversation

6. Experimentation – if you consistently lose sales bc of price or a certain feature, bring it up at the beginning to weed people out and disarm, experiment consistently and adjust

7. Companies don’t buy stuff, only people buy stuff (target a specific individual at a company)

8. Transparency in the sales process will attract the right buyers (if you have no customers,say so, it’s an opportunity for the right buyer

9. Outbound prospecting – plant seeds, it may not be the right time even if you have the right solution

10. Sustainable momentum is found in river currents, not waterfalls – there are budgets at companies for problems they are trying to solve – discover the customer messaging, don’t try to create it. Take the customers exact wording about their problem to inform and describe how you are solving it

Helpful Links:

Book Recommendation: Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

Product Market Fit: https://growthx.com/blog/5-steps-to-confirm-product-market-fit/

Stompbox: www.stompbox.io

Connect with Ian: LinkedIn

Guest Bio:

Ian Illig is the Founder & Managing Partner at Stompbox, an Indianapolis-based consultancy that helps B2B business owners grow revenue by developing their sales people, process, and positioning. Before founding Stompbox, Ian spent the previous decade working in various GTM roles at early-stage B2B SaaS startups, two of which grew from $0 >$5M ARR > exit in under 5 years (Emplify and Bluebridge). Outside of work, you’ll occasionally find him onstage with his band GREGØRIAN, volunteering locally, and traveling with family and friends.

Who are the hosts?

Austin Crites, CFA: Austin is a past-president and current committee member of CFA Society Indianapolis. Professionally, he is the Chief Investment Officer at Aurora Financial Strategies where he manages US-focused, all-cap, style-agnostic equity strategies as the core of client portfolios. Austin is a 2008 graduate of Marian University in Indianapolis where he is now an adjunct professor in the Byrum School of Business.

Matt Henry, CFA: Matt is a Senior Investment Officer at STAR Wealth Management. He is also a Past President and a director of CFA Society Indianapolis. When he’s not managing porfolios, Matt teaches Finance 300 at Ball State University. He enjoys air conditioning, wi-fi, and the conveniences of indoor living.