The One Book That Confirmed Everything I Know About Sales

I finished Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson last week and I haven't stopped thinking about it.

Not because it was groundbreaking information I'd never heard - but because it put into words exactly what I've been teaching inside Sales Mama School for years. Sometimes you need someone else to say the thing you already know so you can finally believe it.

So let's talk about it.

The Stat That Should Change How You Run Your Business

Most entrepreneurs spend 80% of their time on their product and 20% on selling.

Masterson argues it should be the complete opposite - especially when you're in the early stages of building. 80% of your time and energy should be going toward sales and marketing. The remaining 20% covers client delivery, admin, operations, all of it.

I know that might make you uncomfortable. We've been conditioned to believe that a better product sells itself. That if we just refine it enough, polish it enough, perfect it enough - the clients will come.

They won't.

The market doesn't reward perfection. It rewards action.

What You Actually Learn From Selling

Here's what nobody tells you: one real sales conversation will teach you more about your offer than six months of tweaking it behind the scenes.

When you talk to real people, you find out what they actually need. You hear their real objections. You learn what language resonates and what falls flat. You discover what they're willing to pay for and what they're not.

No amount of product development gives you that. Only selling does.

This is exactly why I push my clients to sell before they feel ready. Not because I want them to be sloppy - but because the refinement happens in the market, not in your head.

The Four Stages and Why Stage One Is Everything

Masterson breaks business growth into four stages. If you're under $1M in annual revenue, you're in stage one - and your one job is simple.

Sell first. Refine after.

Not the other way around. Not "get everything set up and then sell." The selling IS the setup. It funds everything else. It tells you what to build. It shows you who your real customer is.

So many women I work with are stuck because they're trying to operate like a stage three or four business when they haven't finished stage one yet. They're building infrastructure for revenue they haven't made. They're hiring before they've closed. They're systematizing before they've sold.

Get the sales first. Everything else follows.

What This Means For You Right Now

If you're in a season where you're busy but not growing, working hard but not closing - I want you to honestly ask yourself: what percentage of your time is actually going toward selling?

Not posting. Not planning. Not building. Selling.

Conversations. Outreach. Follow up. Closing.

If the answer is less than 50%, you've found your problem.

Grab the book here. It's worth every minute.

And if you're ready to stop building and start closing, I want to talk to you. I've been booking 5+ calls a day with women who are done waiting and I have a few spots open this week.

Book your call here: https://salesmama.biz/revenue-audit

Let's go.

-Sausha