Why do some new products fly off the shelves while others have sales cycles that extend out for months?

Selling any product is a mixture of art and science, but selling a new product with no track record from a company with no reputation — that requires a science all its own.

Every new product is different, of course, but one commonality I see among successful startups is an unwillingness to market and sell to people who aren’t buying. As simple as that sounds, it’s a trap entrepreneurs fall into over and over again.

In 20 years of rolling out new products and selling into dozens of different markets, I’ve learned that to sell a new product, repeatedly and sustainably, you have to refuse to twist the customer’s arm.

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