Selling SaaS Without Sales Experience to a $20M Series A

Nik Mijic had never sold anything in his life. As a former program manager at LinkedIn, selling SaaS without sales experience was the last skill he expected to need. But he figured it out - landing 20 first SaaS customers through his network and raising a $20 million Series A from Andreessen Horowitz. If you are a technical founder selling SaaS without sales experience, this episode is your playbook. Nik shares how he closed his first deal for $2,500 at a dinner party, used LinkedIn alumni as warm leads, and learned to hire sales reps in pairs to benchmark performance. His founder-led sales journey proves you do not need a sales background to build a real pipeline. Nik Mijic is the co-founder and CEO of Matik, a SaaS product that automates data-driven presentations for B2B teams including Asana, Glassdoor, and SalesLoft. Matik has raised $23 million total. 🔑 Key Lessons Selling SaaS without sales experience starts with your network - Nik landed 20 customers through personal connections and former LinkedIn colleagues at new companies. Price on instinct when you have zero data - Nik made up a $2,500 price on the spot and the customer said yes immediately, proving early pricing is about testing willingness to pay. Hire sales reps in twos when transitioning from selling SaaS without sales experience - two AEs or SDRs simultaneously lets you benchmark whether issues are people or process. Never fully remove yourself from startup sales - Nik stayed involved in deals after hiring a head of sales to keep the playbook evolving. Build a rotating support structure with three types of mentors - a sibling for venting, a parent for tactical advice, and a grandparent for strategic perspective. Chapters Introduction Nik's favorite quote: don't let perfection be the enemy of progress What Matik does and the problem it solves Growing up as a Bosnian refugee and coming to the US Leaving LinkedIn and telling his parents Meeting co-founder Zach and testing the partnership Six months of research before committing Raising a $200K SAFE and $3M seed round from Menlo Ventures Landing the first customer at a dinner party for $2,500 Overcoming the "will you be around" objection Learning to sell through advisors and iteration The LinkedIn alumni hack for finding warm leads Figuring out pricing through conversations First sales hires and hiring in twos Managing the sales team as a non-sales founder Building the sales playbook through iteration Scaling through expansion within existing accounts Challenges of scaling after raising a $20M Series A from a16z Staying even-keeled through emotional highs and lows Core values: trust and compassion The support framework for selling SaaS without sales experience Advice to first-time founders Lightning round Resources Full show notes: https://saasclub.io/336 Join 5,000+ SaaS founders: https://saasclub.io/email