If you were on the internet in the early 2010s, you probably remember Dumb Ways to Die—a viral, catchy song that humorously illustrated all the ridiculous ways you could meet your demise. The message? Avoid dumb mistakes if you want to stay alive.
Now, let’s apply that same logic to business. What’s the dumbest way for a company to die? Ignoring sales.
Dumb Ways for a Startup to Die
1. Launching Without a Sales Strategy
Building a great product? Awesome. But if you think “it will sell itself,” you’re already in trouble. Let me tell you—No one knows about your product. Sales is the engine that moves your business forward—without it, your brilliant idea is just sitting in the garage, gathering dust
2. Treating Sales as an Afterthought
So you’ve invested in product development, marketing, and even customer success—but your sales team is an underfunded, last-minute addition? That’s like putting a high-performance engine in a car and forgetting to put gas in the tank. Without sales, you won’t get anywhere.
3. Believing Marketing Alone Can Close Deals
Marketing generates interest. Sales turns that interest into revenue. Thinking marketing can replace sales is like assuming a dating app alone can get you married. You still have to go on the dates, make the connection, and seal the deal.
4. Focusing Only on Product and Not on Pipeline
Sure, your product might be revolutionary, but without a steady stream of leads and conversations, you’re doomed. Sales isn’t just about closing—it’s about filling and maintaining a pipeline that keeps revenue flowing. No pipeline, no future.
5. Not Measuring Sales Performance
Would you fly a plane without checking the fuel gauge? Then why run a business without tracking sales metrics? Ignoring sales performance means you have no idea whether you’re cruising to success or nose-diving into bankruptcy.
6. Leaving Sales to ‘Happen Naturally’
Businesses that say, “We don’t really do sales,” usually have another thing in common: they don’t really do revenue, either. Sales is the only department that directly brings in money—every other function spends it. If you’re not prioritizing sales, you’re actively choosing financial decline.
The Harsh Truth: Sales Is the Lifeline
Companies love to glorify innovation, customer service, and branding. While those are critical, they all rely on one thing: sales keeping the lights on. Every paycheck, software license, and office coffee comes from the revenue that sales generates.
So, if you want to avoid your business ending up as just another statistic, start with a strong sales foundation. Because in the world of business, the dumbest way to die is to ignore the one thing that actually keeps you alive.