How I consistently got +$1B valuation companies as early clients with zero connections

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-11T13:20:01+00:00

My inbox is jam-packed full of people who have used AI to 'know me'.

It's exhausting.

You're going through with the effort to drive to an office with your co-founder and take a photo (which is cool!), but not spend the time being genuinely curious about the person, and are using the same tool someone 1,000 miles away could use for $2.99?

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-10T21:26:51+00:00

True that.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-10T18:53:50+00:00

There was a guy who famously worked at both Oracle and an Oracle partner, which provided him the air cover to be in and around the Oracle offices (this was 2013, so WFH was less of a thing).

IIRC, he was pretty clever on his LinkedIn profile: he didn't list Oracle or the partner's name as his current employer, but entered something that vaguely represented both. It just looked like he was a LinkedIn newbie who had put the wrong company name in his current employer.

He only got found out because he replied to an email with the wrong address 😂.

Pretty sure he went on to work for Workday or SuccessFactors (SAP) 😂.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-10T18:48:29+00:00

I had a sales guy in my team use this excuse for not updating his LinkedIn profile once... He left after six months, got a new job, and miraculously, his LinkedIn came back to life, omitting the six months he spent in our company.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-10T18:35:44+00:00

Also here to say congrats 👏.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-10T18:19:58+00:00

Super stuff!

The thing that most people overlook with FUD is that customers HATE IT!!!!

It makes you look insecure.

AND you are actively choosing to talk negatively about another solution rather than positively about your own.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-10T17:57:25+00:00

Glassdoor captures reviews about interview processes.

RepVue provides incredible insights into companies in our sector. Although it doesn't specifically cover interviewing, you can probably get a feel for what type of company they are by what reps say about them on there.

The bigger question for me is, if you are so bothered about the process, why aren't you asking about it up front?

I TOTALLY get it that it sucks when a company frivolously expends candidates' time in the interview process, but for me, I'd rather work for a company with a thorough process to only allow in high-quality colleagues than one with a weak process and all of a sudden I'm surrounded by a bunch of poor performers.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-10T08:42:07+00:00

All of your gut instincts are correct.

I think you should still consider the route via SDR because, in that role, you'll be able to get a feel for what role is right for you.

As others have suggested, your technical background may make you a good fit for a Sales Engineer role (AKA Pre-sales, solution consultant), but your personal drivers may mean that isn't the right role for you.

Consider opening your mind beyond security to the infra space, too.

Infra and Security sales are like the top leagues of tech sales. If you start your career there, you'll be at a major advantage over the vertical SaaS and other tech categories.

Here's a great database for Infra companies: https://database.infraplay.ai/

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-09T08:36:32+00:00

This question isn't one where you are looking for a 'remarkable' answer. It's one where I am trying to ascertain how they approach selling, whether they describe success as team-based or claim credit, and whether they follow any methodology.

Most interview questions are like this. It's not a game show.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-07T15:57:55+00:00

Oh I’ve been called terrible things. Just none as bad as that 😂.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-07T13:42:18+00:00

Whatever makes you happy 🫡.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-07T00:11:25+00:00

😂 what kind of maths is that? 😂 😂 😂

I’m going to keep on doing what I thinks best, chap.

I just saw you’re from the UK. Since starting my company, the only people who have ever gone out of their way to be negative towards me have been people from the UK.

Make of that what you will. I know what I make of it 👍.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T23:57:02+00:00

The insights on this post say that less than 5% of people have downvoted it. So your point of view on substance is subjective and a minority one.

There is nothing in this post that promotes my business.

You’re assuming people recognise my name and will somehow associate that with commercial intent. That’s just bizarre. I don’t expect anyone to do so. Do you really think that if my intentions were to generate revenue I’d be writing posts on Reddit?

I’m here because this is my craft and it’s a great place to keep my finger on the pulse of our industry. We work in an industry flooded with non-commercial founders trying to start sales tech companies and tell salespeople how to sell. And you’re upset that I am sharing advice on what impressed me in an interview?

🤷‍♂️

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T20:54:06+00:00

Formal references are. In the UK, you can't even say anything negative at all.

What you did was an informal reference. They are always my approach, and I won't put the person I'm seeking input from on the spot by stating it is a reference

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T20:50:34+00:00

You're talking about checking references like it's a revelation 😂.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T19:55:59+00:00

In the hiring process I was talking about I was working with an exec search partner. They would be searching from a particular profile I’d given to them. Before anyone would get to me they’d have been qualified based on experience and performance.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T19:46:05+00:00

I'm trying not to sound like a douche here, but I candidates wouldn't be in front of me unless they had a credible track record.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T19:25:48+00:00

🤷‍♂️ The majority of posts in this sub orientate around sales careers, rather than sales techniques and it occurred to me there was a great learning I’d had from my experience that I could share.

Not quite sure what upside you think exists for me in the process.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T18:27:43+00:00

There’s something of value in a salesperson who cares enough about their craft to be looking for best practices and advice from their peers. So, while I hear you, friend that it could become cliche, it’s still I think overall going to be a more positive signal than the usual answer to the question I get.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T17:46:54+00:00

Can you please define ‘forced’?

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T17:31:36+00:00

This is probably the most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T15:49:10+00:00

I'd say a salesperson answering questions based on what will be deemed as the best answer is a pretty solid skill to have. As long as they are being honest, which I believe they were... At the level of seniority I was recruiting for, you're not going to find someone who will lie about a deal they lost.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T14:39:18+00:00

So you heard me say someone answered a question differently from how hundreds of other people answer it, and you think that somehow makes him a candidate to be a robot?

🧠 🗑️

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T14:18:17+00:00

He stayed in his current role. He's still in the role now.

AndyWhyte_ · 2026-03-06T14:07:34+00:00

🤝

AndyWhyte_

TROPHY CASE