A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with two startup founders who reached out via LinkedIn.

They were eager to structure her sales and wanted my help assessing the situation.

After they filled out our sales assessment, we jumped on a call.

During our discovery call, everything seemed spot-on: a tiny startup with a promising product, technical founders passionate about their vision, and a couple of hundred thousand in closed deals.

It's a perfect fit for what I do, I thought confidently.

But midway through our call, something felt off.

I noticed some hesitation and decided to hit pause.

I suggested they take time to reflect and determine if working together was their priority.

A few days later, they got back to me with an unexpected yet intriguing response:

"We loved the conversation, Matteo, but we decided we'd rather invest that money directly into lead generation."

As a salesman, I don't love losing potential clients, but I must admit, I respected the decision.

Here's why:

Investing in lead generation might seem like a quick fix in the short term.

Think about it - getting 10-20 new discovery calls per month (when you have none), even if they're messy and not always on target, can feel like progress.

It means more feedback, conversations, and faster product and process refinement.

And let's face it, there's even a slim chance the gamble pays off.

Maybe their product is so solid and their instincts so sharp that lead generation alone solves their problems.

They save money and start closing deals. Possible? Sure.

But let's get real and talk about why this strategy may also be a huge mistake.

In Italy, we say: "Preferisci un uovo oggi o una gallina domani?" - basically, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?"

Are you aiming for a quick win today or building towards something more substantial tomorrow?

Let's rewind our conversation and revisit their status quo:

• Founders - brilliant, but primarily technical.

• Sales playbook - none.

• CRM - not even on the radar.

• Sales cycle - not defined.

• ICP - not defined.

• Value selling, internal pipeline generation, renewal, expansion - all concepts still foreign.

So, imagine what happens when they suddenly receive 20 new discovery calls:

Chaos. Messiness. Frustration.

And inevitably, wasted opportunities and less cash in the bank.

Here's the truth most of us overlook:

External Lead generation might seem like your first and most significant problem, but it usually isn't.

It's like building a house, starting with the top floors and hoping the foundation magically appears beneath them.

Yet that's precisely what startups do when they pour resources into generating leads before they've laid down proper sales foundations.

What are these foundations?

• A robust Sales Playbook.

• A defined Sales Cycle.

• An effective CRM system.

• Clear strategies for internal pipeline generation.

• Solid practices for value selling, renewals, and expansion.

• A coherent go-to-market plan.

I get it - it's tempting to chase immediate wins.

But without laying these essential foundations, you're essentially stacking papers higher and higher without ever organising them.

Eventually, it'll explode; trust me, you won't enjoy the cleanup.

My advice?

First, build your solid sales foundation, get your processes right, and ensure your house is in order.

Then, and only then, go outside and build lead gen or start hiring internally.

Foundations first, leads second.

Thanks for reading this far - see you all next week!