Founder-Led Sales That Work: Ian Illig’s Playbook for Repeatable Revenue

Ian Illig of Stompbox brought high-speed energy and tactical precision to his session on founder-led sales. Picking up right where Jeanette Rinshaw left off, Ian showed attendees how to translate a strong ICP into an actual sales strategy that doesn’t rely on luck or charm. Instead, it’s built on thoughtful structure, tight messaging, and an empathetic approach to outreach.

Framing early-stage sales as a kind of “startup tour,” Ian laid out the six stages of go-to-market execution, beginning with building short, focused prospect lists and ending with scaling a process that works. He emphasized that early sales shouldn’t aim for scale – they should aim for clarity. Founders should talk to people, refine messaging, and document what actually moves the needle.

Ian introduced practical tools like “fan base lists” (your connectors, advisors, and champions) alongside buyer lists, and detailed the importance of running real conversations – not demos disguised as discovery calls. He pushed for transparency, encouraging founders to speak plainly about where they are in the process, especially with early adopters who may want to shape the product themselves.

He also walked through a framework for outreach that felt both human and efficient: set a clear goal (e.g., 30 buyer conversations in 90 days), define sequences for fans and prospects, and test your approach with personal, relevant outreach. And he reminded founders: just because someone doesn’t respond, doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. Persistence matters more than perfection.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t scale your sales process until you know it works.
• Early sales is about learning, not closing.
• Fan base lists (connectors, advisors, investors) are critical to warm intros.
• Every meeting needs a structure: set the stage, run discovery, wrap with time on the clock.
• Transparency builds trust. Don’t peacock your progress – own your stage.

Ian’s presentation gave founders the clarity and confidence to move from reactive selling to intentional, repeatable sales systems. If you’re still relying on charm and hustle, it might be time to steal a page from Ian’s playbook and start building a real process.

Session Clips