As a sales leader, it's important to avoid the mistake of assuming that interest from a prospect is equivalent to a qualified deal. According to Kevin Gaither's post on LinkedIn, it's crucial to teach your salespeople to dig deeper and determine if the prospect truly needs, wants, and can afford your product.

To achieve this, salespeople should focus on identifying the surface level pain or problem the prospect is facing, as well as the next level business problem that is deeper than the surface level. Additionally, it's important to uncover the personal pain the prospect is experiencing, as well as the cost of inaction.

Sales leaders should also ensure that their salespeople understand the prospect's budget and whether buying the product supports a strategic initiative for the company. By teaching salespeople to ask these questions, they can improve the quality of their pipeline and forecast, and avoid relying on prospects who are merely interested but unlikely to take action.

In addition to teaching effective sales strategies, it's important for sales leaders to create a strong sales culture and hire the right sales reps. Continuous improvement is also key, and sales leaders should regularly provide feedback and implement metrics to track sales success.

By focusing on these strategies and effective sales leadership, early stage tech companies can successfully grow their sales team and achieve their goals.