Sales is often misunderstood as a one-size-fits-all function. In reality, it’s a highly specialized discipline that varies dramatically depending on the customer, product, and market.
Few understand this better than Bill Liao, a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist with two billion-dollar exits—one in telecommunications and another in social networking—and the founder of WeForest, a global charity that has planted over 100 million trees and lifted millions of women out of poverty. He’s also the brains behind CoderDojo, a nonprofit teaching kids to code for free.
What do these ventures have in common? Sales.
Structured, strategic, and scalable sales. Whether it’s B2B, B2C, or even nonprofit fundraising, Liao has mastered the art of selling. Here’s how he did it—and how you can too.
Train Everyone in Sales
Sales isn’t just for the sales team. It’s for everyone. Engineers, designers, customer support—every single person in your company should know the basics of selling. Why? Because every interaction is an opportunity to sell your product, your vision, or your mission.
At DavNet, Liao’s telecom venture in the ’90s, he had an 80-person salesforce. But the real game-changer was getting engineers to spend one day a month in customer service. This wasn’t just about troubleshooting—it was about understanding customer pain points firsthand. The result? Better products, happier customers, and a team that truly understood the value of what they were building.
But here’s the kicker: don’t let your sales team dictate product design. Liao learned this the hard way. Salespeople are great at selling what’s in front of them, not dreaming up what could be. Leave product innovation to the product team, but make sure they’re talking to customers constantly.
Focus on Your Top Performers
In any sales team, 80% of your revenue will come from 20% of your people. It’s the Pareto Principle in action. Liao’s advice? Invest in your top performers, not your laggards.
“If I double the sales output of my bottom 10%, it’s almost irrelevant,” he says. “But if I improve my top 10% by just 5%, the impact is massive.” And don’t be afraid to let under-performers go. At DavNet, Liao would start the exit process for the bottom 10% every quarter. Some improved, but most didn’t—and that’s okay. Sales is a tough gig, and not everyone is cut out for it.
One more thing: never promote your top salesperson to sales manager. Great sellers don’t always make great leaders. Instead, look for someone who can manage by the numbers—a CFO, a technical marketer, or a project manager with a knack for data.
Master the Sales Funnel
Sales is a numbers game, and the funnel is your scoreboard. From suspects to prospects to leads, every step needs to be tracked, optimized, and ruthlessly analyzed.
At DavNet, Liao built a 10-step sales process with an 18% success rate at each stage. The key? Feeding the funnel with high-quality prospects. This isn’t the job of your sales team—it’s the job of sales support. Use tools like AI, LinkedIn and other tools to gather contact info, but make sure someone is dedicated to turning suspects into prospects.
Once you’ve got prospects, focus on conversion rates. If you’re only converting 1% of leads into proposals, something’s broken. Track every ratio, identify bottlenecks, and fix them fast.
B2C vs. B2B: Choose Your Path
Trying to run both B2C and B2B sales strategies simultaneously is a recipe for disaster. Liao learned this the hard way.
In B2C, efficiency is key. Unless you’re selling a high-ticket item, automate as much as possible. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are your best friends. Take Pendulum, a probiotic company that built a $30 million revenue pipeline by leveraging influencers like Halle Berry.
B2B, on the other hand, is all about relationships. It’s complex, high-touch, and requires a different kind of salesforce. Liao’s advice? Pick one path and stick to it until you’re profitable. Only then should you consider expanding into new channels.
The CEO’s Role in Sales
When you’re scaling a startup, the CEO is the first salesperson. You need to know your product inside and out, understand your customers’ pain points, and be ready to hustle.
But here’s the secret: selling isn’t about talking—it’s about listening. “Telling is not selling,” Liao says. “Selling is asking.” Ask questions, listen to the answers, and tailor your pitch to the customer’s needs.
And don’t be afraid to ask for favors. Whether it’s a small concession during a sales call or a big ask from an investor, favors build momentum. Liao calls it the “favor train”: the more favors you ask for, the more likely people are to say yes to bigger requests down the line.
Final Thoughts: Sales is a Numbers Game
At the end of the day, sales is all about the numbers. Track everything—from clicks to conversions—and share those metrics across your team. Your product team should know how changes impact sales, and your CFO should be obsessed with the sales funnel.
Liao’s final piece of advice? Don’t ignore the true cost of sales. Growing revenue is great, but if your margins are shrinking, you’re not scaling sustainably.
Scaling sales isn’t easy, but with the right structure, focus, and mindset, it’s possible. Whether you’re building the next billion-dollar business or planting millions of trees, the principles are the same: train your team, focus on your top performers, master the funnel, and always be asking.
Now go out there and sell.
Bill Liao
Co-Founder, CoderDojo | Founder, WeForest | General Partner, SOSV
