"More than 90% of startups fail, due primarily to self-destruction rather than competition." The Sales Gap is perhaps the most daunting stage of entrepreneurship. Most founders will agree that their primary objective is to leverage product market fit into scalable sales growth as efficiently as possible. However, the majority of startups self-destruct during this transition as a result of premature scaling. In this keynote excerpt from Founders Weekend, Brad Harker explores the concept of "sales validation," and the roadmap he has developed to help organizations preempt the dangers of premature scaling, and generate sustainable sales growth. ON THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: Navigating the Sales Gap Premature Scaling vs. Market Bubbles Sales Validation - the capstone to Product Market Fit 4 Prerequisites to sales validation Business Validation Value Proposition Sales Alignment Launch Strategy Defining 4 Stages of the Sales Process Lead Development Sales Mapping Marketing Automation Metrics 7 Components of Sales Validation Sales validation is confirmed when the following 7 criteria are achieved with the majority of those transactions: Are you consistent in where you source new leads? Is the sales process similar? When customers purchase, is the product stable? Are customers buying the product for the same features? Do you need to customize the product to make the sale Are your customers endorsing and evangelizing your product? Is it profitable?