Startup Sales — 5 Common Sales Mistakes by Founders
August 12, 2025
Founders are responsible for the first sales a startup will make. For many founders, this is one of their very first experiences of sales and mistakes are often made.
Hello, everyone. Today, we’re talking about fake intros. I understand the desire and difficulty of getting investor meetings burst hand, but this is not the way to get those meetings. In fact, it will actually hurt you.
Number 1. You’re not fooling anybody introductions are supposed to be double opt-in. So your email will immediately arouse suspicion and then a quick search of your email address kills any notion that this request was pre-approved
Number 2. It’s just not necessary. If you don’t have a direct connection to a particular investor it’s not usually hard to get their email address. And then from there a genuinely personalized email about a start-up that’s in an area of their interest usually is going to receive a 30 to 50% response rate.
Number 3. The most likely outcome of this attempt is actually negative. Now when your name comes up in the future, the only frame of reference this investor has will be your deceitful message. Obviously, not a good look.
